Likable young heroes headline this simple but delightful adventure.
To save their parents, siblings must seek out and kill a powerful dragon in Johnson’s YA fantasy.
Erik, a teen who’s been away for a blacksmith apprenticeship, returns to his home in the Valley of Caraigdun. His mother Jaynea has fallen ill, as have some among his five siblings, who have been caring for her. Luckily, Erik meets a witch named Athena; she helps him make it through the Forbidden Forest so he can deliver an herbal remedy to his ailing family. Just when things are looking up, Gwandoya, a dragon who’s likely holding the kids’ father captive, grabs Jaynea as well. Erik and his siblings are shocked to learn that Jaynea is a witch (like her old pal Athena) and that Gwandoya killed both their grandfather and Athena’s fiance. Now they have a quest: rescue their parents and avenge their loved ones. Conjuring up magic spells on their own is definitely a learning experience as they mingle with giants, goblins, and merciless dragons. Johnson deftly develops her characters in this leisurely-paced tale. There’s tension between Erik and younger brother Brian, who’s still upset over Erik’s pranks in years past, and Aimee and Becka, the two oldest siblings, struggle to keep the others in line, including whip-smart Kami and rambunctious but brave Adam. Familiar genre conventions abound, such as pixies, handsome knights in “shiny armor,” and heroes tied to a prophecy. Settings like the ominous forest and a secret cave are suitably detailed, though the character descriptions are often lacking; A troll is merely “hideous,” a goblin is “rather large,” and two wizards the youngsters encounter are initially called “brown wizard” and “gray wizard” (owing to their attire). Still, this lighthearted narrative is chock-full of entertaining scenes as the kids battle mythological creatures and team up with new allies who join the fight against Gwandoya.
Likable young heroes headline this simple but delightful adventure.Pub Date: Sept. 9, 2024
ISBN: 9780982536087
Page Count: 274
Publisher: Mushroom Manor Books
Review Posted Online: Nov. 18, 2024
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
An ode to the children of migrants who have been taken away.
A Mexican American boy takes on heavy responsibilities when his family is torn apart.
Mateo’s life is turned upside down the day U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents show up unsuccessfully seeking his Pa at his New York City bodega. The Garcias live in fear until the day both parents are picked up; his Pa is taken to jail and his Ma to a detention center. The adults around Mateo offer support to him and his 7-year-old sister, Sophie, however, he knows he is now responsible for caring for her and the bodega as well as trying to survive junior year—that is, if he wants to fulfill his dream to enter the drama program at the Tisch School of the Arts and become an actor. Mateo’s relationships with his friends Kimmie and Adam (a potential love interest) also suffer repercussions as he keeps his situation a secret. Kimmie is half Korean (her other half is unspecified) and Adam is Italian American; Mateo feels disconnected from them, less American, and with worries they can’t understand. He talks himself out of choosing a safer course of action, a decision that deepens the story. Mateo’s self-awareness and inner monologue at times make him seem older than 16, and, with significant turmoil in the main plot, some side elements feel underdeveloped. Aleman’s narrative joins the ranks of heart-wrenching stories of migrant families who have been separated.
An ode to the children of migrants who have been taken away. (Fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: May 4, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-7595-5605-8
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: Feb. 22, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2021
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A lackluster and sometimes disturbing mishmash of overused tropes.
The Plague has left a population divided between Elites and Ordinaries—those who have powers and those who don’t; now, an Ordinary teen fights for her life.
Paedyn Gray witnessed the king kill her father five years ago, and she’s been thieving and sleeping rough ever since, all while faking Psychic abilities. When she inadvertently saves the life of Prince Kai, she becomes embroiled in the Purging Trials, a competition to commemorate the sickness that killed most of the kingdom’s Ordinaries. Kai’s duties as the future Enforcer include eradicating any remaining Ordinaries, and these Trials are his chance to prove that he’s internalized his brutal training. But Kai can’t help but find Pae’s blue eyes, silver hair, and unabashed attitude enchanting. She likewise struggles to resist his stormy gray eyes, dark hair, and rakish behavior, even as they’re pitted against each other in the Trials and by the king himself. Scenes and concepts that are strongly reminiscent of the Hunger Games fall flat: They aren’t bolstered by the original’s heart or worldbuilding logic that would have justified a few extreme story elements. Illogical leaps and inconsistent characterizations abound, with lighthearted romantic interludes juxtaposed against genocide, child abuse, and sadism. These elements, which are not sufficiently addressed, combined with the use of ableist language, cannot be erased by any amount of romantic banter. Main characters are cued white; the supporting cast has some brown-skinned characters.
A lackluster and sometimes disturbing mishmash of overused tropes. (map) (Fantasy. 14-18)Pub Date: Nov. 7, 2023
ISBN: 9798987380406
Page Count: 538
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Sept. 9, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2023
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