A well-developed but confusingly paced novel for readers who love fairies and magic.
In Bozarth’s middle grade/YA series starter, an English teenager in 1960 is swept into another world to find her destiny.
Sixteen-year-old Annabel Brighton and her 13-year-old sister, Maureen, have just suffered a devastating loss: Their parents were killed in a car accident. The two girls inherit a large estate that multiple relatives have their eyes on, and they also receive subtle and powerful gifts, including a destiny tapestry predicting Maureen’s life; a “Story Seed,” which records the family’s story; and a Mermaid Crystal Viewer that transports the siblings to the world of Aventurine, which they had previously only known from their mother’s tales. “Aventurine is ruled by one queen every hundred years,” explains Prince Shallamay, the first person they meet there upon arrival. “She is supposed to be born to this role, or, if all else fails, chosen by all the Queens and other leaders from every land and tribe.” Annabel and Maureen take their new situation mostly in stride, until they must separate so that Annabel can search for her missing destiny tapestry while Maureen returns to Devon. Annabel soon makes an important discovery about her role in the new world, which prompts her to spend years learning new skills so she can defend Aventurine from an evil force known as the Shadowans. This is a text-heavy novel for middle-graders and young teens looking to start a new fantasy series. Readers who love exploring new magical realms will enjoy Bozarth’s deep worldbuilding, which introduces the Faeren tribes, led by women; the Commonan tribes, led by men; and warlike Shadowans. However, this aspect of the novel greatly outweighs its plot, which is oddly paced; it meanders through scenes of botany lessons, for instance, but skips over entire decades of Annabel’s life as a queen, despite seemingly important events. Madden’s occasional grayscale illustrations of animals and characters lend themselves to the vintage but surreal aesthetic of the alternate world.
A well-developed but confusingly paced novel for readers who love fairies and magic.Pub Date: Feb. 29, 2024
ISBN: 9798989274505
Page Count: 218
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: April 1, 2024
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A pleasing premise for book lovers.
A fantasy-loving bookworm makes a wonderful, terrible bargain.
When sixth grader Poppy Woodlock’s historic preservationist parents move the family to the Oregon coast to work on the titular stately home, Poppy’s sure she’ll find magic. Indeed, the exiled water nymph in the manor’s ruined swimming pool grants a wish, but: “Magic isn’t free. It cosssts.” The price? Poppy’s favorite book, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. In return she receives Sampson, a winged lion cub who is everything Poppy could have hoped for. But she soon learns that the nymph didn’t take just her own physical book—she erased Narnia from Poppy’s world. And it’s just the first loss: Soon, Poppy’s grandmother’s journal’s gone, then The Odyssey, and more. The loss is heartbreaking, but Sampson’s a wonderful companion, particularly as Poppy’s finding middle school a tough adjustment. Hartman’s premise is beguiling—plenty of readers will identify with Poppy, both as a fellow bibliophile and as a kid struggling to adapt. Poppy’s repeatedly expressed faith that unveiling Sampson will bring some sort of vindication wears thin, but that does not detract from the central drama. It’s a pity that the named real-world books Poppy reads are notably lacking in diversity; a story about the power of literature so limited in imagination lets both itself and readers down. Main characters are cued White; there is racial diversity in the supporting cast. Chapters open with atmospheric spot art. (This review has been updated to reflect the final illustrations.)
A pleasing premise for book lovers. (Fantasy. 9-12)Pub Date: May 2, 2023
ISBN: 9780316448222
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: Feb. 24, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2023
BOOK REVIEW
An absorbing fantasy centered on a resilient female protagonist facing growth, change, and self-empowerment.
In Florence’s middle-grade fantasy novel, a young girl’s heart is tested in the face of an evil, spreading Darkness.
Eleven-year-old Lydia, “freckle-cheeked and round-eyed, with hair the color of pine bark and fair skin,” is struggling with the knowledge that she has reached the age to apprentice as an herbalist. Lydia is reluctant to leave her beloved, magical Mulberry Glen and her cozy Housetree in the woods—she’ll miss Garder, the Glen’s respected philosopher; her fairy guardian Pit; her human friend Livy; and even the mischievous part-elf, part-imp, part-human twins Zale and Zamilla. But the twins go missing after hearing of a soul-sapping Darkness that has swallowed a forest and is creeping into minds and engulfing entire towns. They have secretly left to find a rare fruit that, it is said, will stop the Darkness if thrown into the heart of the mountain that rises out of the lethal forest. Lydia follows, determined to find the twins before they, too, fall victim to the Darkness. During her journey, accompanied by new friends, she gradually realizes that she herself has a dangerous role to play in the quest to stop the Darkness. In this well-crafted fantasy, Florence skillfully equates the physical manifestation of Darkness with the feelings of insecurity and powerlessness that Lydia first struggles with when thinking of leaving the Glen. Such negative thoughts grow more intrusive the closer she and her friends come to the Darkness—and to Lydia’s ultimate, powerfully rendered test of character, which leads to a satisfyingly realistic, not quite happily-ever-after ending. Highlights include a delightfully haunting, reality-shifting library and a deft sprinkling of Latin throughout the text; Pit’s pet name for Lydia is mea flosculus (“my little flower”). Fine-lined ink drawings introducing each chapter add a pleasing visual element to this well-grounded fairy tale.
An absorbing fantasy centered on a resilient female protagonist facing growth, change, and self-empowerment.Pub Date: Jan. 7, 2025
ISBN: 9781956393095
Page Count: 288
Publisher: Waxwing Books
Review Posted Online: Oct. 14, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2025
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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