QUEENS OF AVENTURINE

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.