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
Black is building a complex mythology; now is a great time to tune in.
Black is back with another dark tale of Faerie, this one set in Faerie and launching a new trilogy.
Jude—broken, rebuilt, fueled by anger and a sense of powerlessness—has never recovered from watching her adoptive Faerie father murder her parents. Human Jude (whose brown hair curls and whose skin color is never described) both hates and loves Madoc, whose murderous nature is true to his Faerie self and who in his way loves her. Brought up among the Gentry, Jude has never felt at ease, but after a decade, Faerie has become her home despite the constant peril. Black’s latest looks at nature and nurture and spins a tale of court intrigue, bloodshed, and a truly messed-up relationship that might be the saving of Jude and the titular prince, who, like Jude, has been shaped by the cruelties of others. Fierce and observant Jude is utterly unaware of the currents that swirl around her. She fights, plots, even murders enemies, but she must also navigate her relationship with her complex family (human, Faerie, and mixed). This is a heady blend of Faerie lore, high fantasy, and high school drama, dripping with description that brings the dangerous but tempting world of Faerie to life.
Black is building a complex mythology; now is a great time to tune in. (Fantasy. 14-adult)Pub Date: Jan. 2, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-316-31027-7
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: Sept. 25, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2017
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