Beautifully written, but colonial themes require unpacking.
A deposed condesa must find her true purpose in life.
After her best friend, Ximena, betrayed her and installed the Llacsan princesa as ruler of Inkasisa, Catalina was exiled to the jungle. As an Illustrian, she feels not just entitled to rule, but, as the only seer capable of reading the stars for clues from Luna, views herself as a chosen one. In the jungle, Catalina runs into her former guard (and secret childhood sweetheart), Manuel, and they decide to seek Paititi, a legendary city inhabited by the Illari, another deposed people who are rumored to be monstrous. Maybe there Catalina can summon an army to retake Inkasisa. The jungle is full of dangers, and when they finally meet the Illari people, more tests await. They demonstrate their good intentions by helping the Illari figure out why the jungle is dying, leaving it increasingly open to opportunistic gold seekers. Ibañez's exquisitely constructed fantasy version of Bolivia has a complex history: Illustrians appear to parallel the Spanish while the Illari and Llacsans seem to represent Indigenous peoples. At times Catalina’s behavior toward the Illari is uncomfortably similar to ways Indigenous people are exoticized by Westerners, and her intent to use them for her own benefit goes worryingly unchecked. The story is portrayed as a journey in getting to know people she never viewed as her equals, but her ultimate humility may not be deep or redemptive enough for some readers.
Beautifully written, but colonial themes require unpacking. (Fantasy. 14-adult)Pub Date: Jan. 26, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-64567-132-9
Page Count: 368
Publisher: Page Street
Review Posted Online: Nov. 16, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2020
Read this for the action-packed plot, not character development or worldbuilding.
On the orders of her mother, a woman goes to dragon-riding school.
Even though her mother is a general in Navarre’s army, 20-year-old Violet Sorrengail was raised by her father to follow his path as a scribe. After his death, though, Violet's mother shocks her by forcing her to enter the elite and deadly dragon rider academy at Basgiath War College. Most students die at the War College: during training sessions, at the hands of their classmates, or by the very dragons they hope to one day be paired with. From Day One, Violet is targeted by her classmates, some because they hate her mother, others because they think she’s too physically frail to succeed. She must survive a daily gauntlet of physical challenges and the deadly attacks of classmates, which she does with the help of secret knowledge handed down by her two older siblings, who'd been students there before her. Violet is at the mercy of the plot rather than being in charge of it, hurtling through one obstacle after another. As a result, the story is action-packed and fast-paced, but Violet is a strange mix of pure competence and total passivity, always managing to come out on the winning side. The book is categorized as romantasy, with Violet pulled between the comforting love she feels from her childhood best friend, Dain Aetos, and the incendiary attraction she feels for family enemy Xaden Riorson. However, the way Dain constantly undermines Violet's abilities and his lack of character development make this an unconvincing storyline. The plots and subplots aren’t well-integrated, with the first half purely focused on Violet’s training, followed by a brief detour for romance, and then a final focus on outside threats.
Read this for the action-packed plot, not character development or worldbuilding.Pub Date: May 2, 2023
ISBN: 9781649374042
Page Count: 528
Publisher: Red Tower
Review Posted Online: Jan. 12, 2024
SEEN & HEARD
BOOK TO SCREEN
In addition to the supernatural elements, Brosgol interweaves some savvy insights about the illusion of perfection and...
A deliciously creepy page-turning gem from first-time writer and illustrator Brosgol finds brooding teenager Anya trying to escape the past—both her own and the ghost haunting her.
Anya feels out of place at her preppy private school; embarrassed by her Russian heritage, she has worked hard to lose her accent and to look more like everyone else. After a particularly frustrating morning at the bus stop, Anya storms off, only to accidentally fall down a well. Down in the dark hole, she meets Emily, a ghost who claims to be a murder victim trapped down in the dank abyss for 90 years. With Emily’s help, Anya manages to escape, though once free, she learns that Emily has traveled out with her. At first, Emily seems like the perfect friend; however, once her motives become clear, Anya learns that “perfect” may only be an illusion. A moodily atmospheric spectrum of grays washes over the clean, tidy panels, setting a distinct stage before the first words appear. Brosgol’s tight storytelling invokes the chilling feeling of Neil Gaiman’s Coraline (2002), though for a decidedly older set.
In addition to the supernatural elements, Brosgol interweaves some savvy insights about the illusion of perfection and outward appearance. (Graphic supernatural fiction. 12 & up)Pub Date: June 7, 2011
ISBN: 978-1-59643-552-0
Page Count: 224
Publisher: First Second
Review Posted Online: April 18, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2011
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