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
A sweet if muddled tale of the magic of Appalachia.
A teenage witch goes up against the evil king of the mountain to save a cursed village.
Witch-in-training Verity Vox has spent a year apiece in different villages, helping in any way she can as she learns her art. When it’s time to move on, she receives a sign that shows her where to go next. When the latest sign appears in the form of a note begging for help that floats down on a leaf, she’s eager for the challenge. Verity winds up in Foxfire, a village in the Appalachian mountains that’s been magically cut off from the rest of the world for years, leaving its people close to starvation. The root of their suffering is a man they know as Earl, who lives in the hills and strikes deals with the townspeople that ultimately cause crops to wither, folks to disappear, and the only bridge out of the valley to crumble. Verity is determined to change the villagers’ fortunes, but to do so she’ll have to face off against not just Earl but the ancient power of the mountains itself. Loosely based on the Germanic Erlking legend and told in a voice reminiscent of folktales, the story features a queer romance and a cast that presents white. The convoluted magic system undercuts the strong themes of reciprocity, poverty, and privilege, but Appalachian readers will instantly recognize home.
A sweet if muddled tale of the magic of Appalachia. (Fantasy. 13-18)Pub Date: Aug. 5, 2025
ISBN: 9798890032706
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Page Street
Review Posted Online: May 30, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2025
SEEN & HEARD
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
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