In this sophomore effort, skeleton Rickety Stitch and his amorphous amigo attempt to solve the mystery of Rickety’s shadowy past.
Reanimated skeleton and bard Rickety Stitch, along with his gelatinous companion, Goo, is still trying to find mythical Epoli in hopes of learning about his formerly living self. To get there, the pair must journey up the Middle-Route Run, a precarious path where travelers race through endless danger and vandals. Rickety and Goo join a musical ensemble on a caravan transporting a vast, dubiously obtained treasure down the route; double-crosses, hijinks, and surprises ensue. Propelled by constant, comical action, most of the scenes, although busy, only offer enough to tantalize and not satisfy; Rickety discovers only the barest tidbits about his past, leaving readers hopeful that more will be revealed in later offerings. Evinced through large, bright panels, the art is alluringly vivid and kinetic, with a strong animated feel. While the previous volume was suffused with wonderfully irreverent humor, however, this one shies away from such cheek, veering into middle-grade–level jokes and gentler insults. Readers expecting banter on par with Noelle Stevenson’s Nimona might be a bit discouraged to see it more comparable to Jeff Smith’s Bone.
A bit of a sophomore slump but not enough to dampen fans’ spirits for subsequent adventures. (Graphic fantasy. 11-14)Pub Date: July 24, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-399-55616-6
Page Count: 208
Publisher: Knopf
Review Posted Online: June 17, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2018
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BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Adventure drags our heroine all over the map of fantasyland while giving her the opportunity to use her smarts.
Elisa—Princess Lucero-Elisa de Riqueza of Orovalle—has been chosen for Service since the day she was born, when a beam of holy light put a Godstone in her navel. She's a devout reader of holy books and is well-versed in the military strategy text Belleza Guerra, but she has been kept in ignorance of world affairs. With no warning, this fat, self-loathing princess is married off to a distant king and is embroiled in political and spiritual intrigue. War is coming, and perhaps only Elisa's Godstone—and knowledge from the Belleza Guerra—can save them. Elisa uses her untried strategic knowledge to always-good effect. With a character so smart that she doesn't have much to learn, body size is stereotypically substituted for character development. Elisa’s "mountainous" body shrivels away when she spends a month on forced march eating rat, and thus she is a better person. Still, it's wonderfully refreshing to see a heroine using her brain to win a war rather than strapping on a sword and charging into battle.
Despite the stale fat-to-curvy pattern, compelling world building with a Southern European, pseudo-Christian feel, reminiscent of Naomi Kritzer's Fires of the Faithful (2002), keeps this entry fresh. (Fantasy. 12-14)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2011
ISBN: 978-0-06-202648-4
Page Count: 432
Publisher: Greenwillow Books
Review Posted Online: July 20, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2011
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A gripping thriller in dystopic future Los Angeles.
Fifteen-year-olds June and Day live completely different lives in the glorious Republic. June is rich and brilliant, the only candidate ever to get a perfect score in the Trials, and is destined for a glowing career in the military. She looks forward to the day when she can join up and fight the Republic’s treacherous enemies east of the Dakotas. Day, on the other hand, is an anonymous street rat, a slum child who failed his own Trial. He's also the Republic's most wanted criminal, prone to stealing from the rich and giving to the poor. When tragedies strike both their families, the two brilliant teens are thrown into direct opposition. In alternating first-person narratives, Day and June experience coming-of-age adventures in the midst of spying, theft and daredevil combat. Their voices are distinct and richly drawn, from Day’s self-deprecating affection for others to June's Holmesian attention to detail. All the flavor of a post-apocalyptic setting—plagues, class warfare, maniacal soldiers—escalates to greater complexity while leaving space for further worldbuilding in the sequel.
This is no didactic near-future warning of present evils, but a cinematic adventure featuring endearing, compelling heroes . (Science fiction. 12-14)Pub Date: Nov. 29, 2011
ISBN: 978-0-399-25675-2
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Putnam
Review Posted Online: April 8, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2011
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