An uneven but often engaging fantasy debut.
A seemingly average boy finds that he’s destined to battle against dark magic in Gracely’s debut middle-grade novel.
All that Goff Grahmwants is to get away from Spraksville, a small, spooky town where he lives with a foster family that bullies him relentlessly. His plan is to win a scholarship to prestigious Amworth Academy and eventually become a journalist. To that end, he decides to try to cast a spell at the local cemetery to help spice up his application essay about the town’s legendary witches. However, after he does so, talking gargoyles confront him and tell him he must play his part in maintaining the balance of magic in the world. It turns out that evil local wizard Harkland Mathers XIII is trying to use the upcoming Halloween holiday to maximize his powers; Goff is chosen by the gargoyles as his opponent. Learning magic doesn’t interest Goff, but people are disappearing, mysterious Halloween decorations are popping up all over town, and no one seems to be able to contact or enter the world outside Spraksville. With the help of tightly wound Lydia Garcia and deadpan Halstrom Flint, two student friends, and spirit pals Maxim and Bones, Goff must find a way to stop Mathers. This action-packed adventure draws on several familiar Halloween-themed elements; Gracely adds his own innovations with mixed success. The opening of the story is slow, and many characters feel cartoonish until the story picks up and fleshes them out halfway through the book. The setup of an orphan boy fated to use magic to defeat an evil wizard is unoriginal, but the author still makes it compelling. Overall, the story remains entertaining throughout and may appeal to middle-grade readers of such fantasy titles as The Halloween Moon (2021) by Joseph Fink.
An uneven but often engaging fantasy debut.Pub Date: Oct. 2, 2022
ISBN: N/A
Page Count: 402
Publisher: Bisket Press
Review Posted Online: June 3, 2023
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
A lushly written story with an intriguing heart.
After praying to a Fate for help, Evangeline discovers the dangerous world of magic.
When her father passes away, Evangeline is left with her cold stepmother and kind but distant stepsister, Marisol. Despite inheriting a steady trust in magic, belief in her late mother’s homeland of the mystical North (where fantastical creatures live), and philosophy of hope for the future, her dreams are dashed when Luc, her love, pledges to marry Marisol instead. Evangeline desperately prays to the Prince of Hearts, a dangerous and fickle Fate famed for his heart that is waiting to be revived by his one true love—and his potentially lethal kisses. The bargain they strike sends her on a dark and magical journey throughout the land. The writing style fluctuates from clever and original to overly verbose and often confusing in its jumble of senses. While the pervasive magic and concept of the Fates as a religious system add interest, other fantasy elements are haphazardly incorporated without enough time devoted to building a cohesive world. However, the themes of love, the power of story, family influence, and holding onto belief are well rounded and add depth. The plot contains welcome surprises, and the large cast piques curiosity; readers will wish more time was spent getting to know them. Evangeline has rose-gold hair and, like other main characters, reads as White; there is diversity among the fantasy races in this world.
A lushly written story with an intriguing heart. (map) (Fantasy. 12-16)Pub Date: Sept. 28, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-250-26839-6
Page Count: 416
Publisher: Flatiron Books
Review Posted Online: July 27, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2021
Dark, seductive, but over-the-top: Characters and book alike will enthrall those who choose to play.
Garber returns to the world of bestseller Caraval (2017), this time with the focus on younger, more daring sister Donatella.
Valenda, capital of the empire, is host to the second of Legend’s magical games in a single year, and while Scarlett doesn’t want to play again, blonde Tella is eager for a chance to prove herself. She is haunted by the memory of her death in the last game and by the cursed Deck of Destiny she used as a child which foretold her loveless future. Garber has changed many of the rules of her expanding world, which now appears to be infused with magic and evil Fates. Despite a weak plot and ultraviolet prose (“He tasted like exquisite nightmares and stolen dreams, like the wings of fallen angels, and bottles of fresh moonlight.”), this is a tour de force of imagination. Themes of love, betrayal, and the price of magic (and desire) swirl like Caraval’s enchantments, and Dante’s sensuous kisses will thrill readers as much as they do Tella. The convoluted machinations of the Prince of Hearts (one of the Fates), Legend, and even the empress serve as the impetus for Tella’s story and set up future volumes which promise to go bigger. With descriptions focusing primarily on clothing, characters’ ethnicities are often indeterminate.
Dark, seductive, but over-the-top: Characters and book alike will enthrall those who choose to play. (glossary) (Fantasy. 12-16)Pub Date: May 29, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-250-09531-2
Page Count: 464
Publisher: Flatiron Books
Review Posted Online: March 19, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2018
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
© Copyright 2024 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
