Poor pacing and flawed logic lead to a disappointing sequel
In a post–magical-apocalypse London, a teenage soldier with a secret monster-transformation problem hopes she can rescue her father without incriminating herself.
At the end of The Catalyst (2016), Rose’s father, David, escaped from the authorities in disguise. In the intervening six months, he has for some reason turned himself in to the authorities, where he’ll be tried as an illegal Hybrid monster. It’s been 20 years since the Veilbreak divided all humans into the magically Gifted and the nonmagical Ashkind. The vanishingly rare Hybrids, who transform into monsters for one day every six weeks, violate the law simply by existing. Rose (who, like almost all of the characters, is white) stands by her father as he prepares for his trial, all while trying to hide the truth: she is also a Hybrid. Until recently, David had been the head of an exceedingly powerful secret-police/domestic-spying organization. Now, the fallout from his arrest and the revelation of his secrets have embroiled Rose in politics, for which she has no patience. Rose’s adventure is broken up by brief scenes from David’s youth, which move backward through time to slowly reveal the mystery of both his origins and hers. David’s story comes at a compelling pace, though the climactic action sequence of Rose’s narrative makes no logical sense. An exciting setup plods into a disappointing denouement featuring too many events and revelations; while each would be satisfying on its own, here they dribble out as from a leaky tap.
Poor pacing and flawed logic lead to a disappointing sequel . (Fantasy. 13-15)Pub Date: Oct. 20, 2017
ISBN: 978-0-7636-8973-5
Page Count: 464
Publisher: Candlewick
Review Posted Online: Aug. 26, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2017
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
There’s some originality here, though it’s hard to unearth amid all the melodrama
An illegitimate girl who hopes to find her creative passion may be connected to another kingdom’s magical history.
At 10, white, orphaned Brienna was brought to Magnalia House. For the last seven years she’s studied to become an arden, an apprentice passion, with the goal of finding her patron. The arden-sisters study art, dramatics, music, wit, and knowledge; Brienna, who has no true vocation, has eccentrically studied in all the fields. Though she doesn’t truly belong among the talented (and somewhat racially diverse) noble girls of Magnalia House, they are her beloved friends. Perhaps once she’s passioned, she can even act on her romantic feelings for the white knowledge master. But Brienna’s having strange visions lately; could they be ancestral memories of an unknown forbear from the neighboring country? What with romance, jealousy, family drama, betrayals, ancient magical history, and characters with multiple secret identities, there’s a nigh-constant pitch of throbbing…well, passion. A voice is like “tamed thunder,” and hair is like “a stream of silver.” Malapropisms abound (“punctures of laughter”; “her beauty warbled by the mullioned windows”). Oddly, most of the shocking revelations of back story are openly detailed in the lengthy family trees at the novel’s opening.
There’s some originality here, though it’s hard to unearth amid all the melodrama . (Fantasy. 13-15)Pub Date: Feb. 6, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-06-247134-5
Page Count: 464
Publisher: HarperTeen
Review Posted Online: Oct. 27, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2017
The Salt trilogy closes with a third generation of children fighting petty but dangerous evils. Hana, a girl from the city's wretched Bawdhouse Burrow, is orphaned when her mother is burned as a witch. Ben grows up far from the city, raised by his grandparents Pearl and Hari in the idyllic village from Gool (2010). When Hana flees the city, she brings with her a terrifying message for those outside its darkness: The Limping Man is coming. He has the terrible power to make people love him even as he torments them, and he plans to wipe out all who stand against him. Since most of the outsiders—Ben's family, the forest Dwellers and "the people without a name"—have mental powers, the Limping Man intends to massacre them. Ben and Hana, along with their allies, must find the Limping Man's secret in order to save their own lives and homes. Ben and Hana’s victories, like those of their parents and grandparents, are local. Even if they do defeat the Limping Man, they cannot vanquish evil from the world; life in the burrows will likely continue to be nasty, brutish and short. The heroes' personalities are defined by their harsh environments, but they reach beyond those limitations. Fantasy heroes who can save only themselves and their loved ones are a welcome change from the usual. (Fantasy. 13-15)
Pub Date: March 1, 2011
ISBN: 978-1-55469-216-3
Page Count: 208
Publisher: Orca
Review Posted Online: Feb. 17, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2011
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