A vibrant fantasy debut that delivers fast-paced adventure and unexpected surprises.
In a world where dragons are gods and war is closing in, one girl must find the fire within to save those she loves.
Sixteen-year-old Naira lives in Lagusa, a secluded desert village, with her parents and twin brother, Nez. Rumors are swirling that Waldyrian warlord Sothpike and his Vra Gool Dambi, an army of the dead, are closing in on Lagusa when Naira ends up trapped outside the village walls. There, she encounters a woman known as the Mistress, a follower of Sothpike who can control the Vra Gool Dambi. Naira narrowly escapes being killed, but the Mistress arrives at Lagusa soon after, demanding that the village folk hand over their children or face an attack. It is up to the people of Lagusa to save themselves, though Naira’s world will be permanently altered in the process. This world is dynamic, an original, well-developed, high-fantasy setting. Details flesh out the lore well, such as when Naira prays with her father and lights incense or when she learns why the village people burn their dead. The action scenes are captivating and propel the story forward. Louise’s attempts at romance are not as successful, however. Naira’s and Nez’s respective romantic storylines feel forced, with accelerated timelines that come across as juvenile compared to the rest of the novel. The characters have varying shades of brown skin.
A vibrant fantasy debut that delivers fast-paced adventure and unexpected surprises. (Fantasy. 13-18)Pub Date: Jan. 10, 2023
ISBN: 978-1-335-42857-8
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Inkyard Press
Review Posted Online: Dec. 13, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2023
BOOK REVIEW
A sweet if muddled tale of the magic of Appalachia.
A teenage witch goes up against the evil king of the mountain to save a cursed village.
Witch-in-training Verity Vox has spent a year apiece in different villages, helping in any way she can as she learns her art. When it’s time to move on, she receives a sign that shows her where to go next. When the latest sign appears in the form of a note begging for help that floats down on a leaf, she’s eager for the challenge. Verity winds up in Foxfire, a village in the Appalachian mountains that’s been magically cut off from the rest of the world for years, leaving its people close to starvation. The root of their suffering is a man they know as Earl, who lives in the hills and strikes deals with the townspeople that ultimately cause crops to wither, folks to disappear, and the only bridge out of the valley to crumble. Verity is determined to change the villagers’ fortunes, but to do so she’ll have to face off against not just Earl but the ancient power of the mountains itself. Loosely based on the Germanic Erlking legend and told in a voice reminiscent of folktales, the story features a queer romance and a cast that presents white. The convoluted magic system undercuts the strong themes of reciprocity, poverty, and privilege, but Appalachian readers will instantly recognize home.
A sweet if muddled tale of the magic of Appalachia. (Fantasy. 13-18)Pub Date: Aug. 5, 2025
ISBN: 9798890032706
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Page Street
Review Posted Online: May 30, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2025
SEEN & HEARD
A descriptive and atmospheric paranormal social thriller that could be a bit tighter.
After a Nigerian British girl goes off to an exclusive boarding school that seems to prey on less-privileged students, she discovers there might be some truth behind an urban legend.
Ife Adebola joins the Urban Achievers scholarship program at pricey, high-pressure Nithercott School, arriving shortly after a student called Leon mysteriously disappeared. Gossip says he’s a victim of the glowing-eyed Changing Man who targets the lonely, leaving them changed. Ife doesn’t believe in the myth, but amid the stresses of Nithercott’s competitive, privileged, majority-white environment, where she is constantly reminded of her state school background, she does miss her friends and family. When Malika, a fellow Black scholarship student, disappears and then returns, acting strangely devoid of personality, Ife worries the Changing Man is real—and that she’s next. Ife joins forces with classmate Bijal and Benny, Leon’s younger brother, to uncover the truth about who the Changing Man is and what he wants. Culminating in a detailed, gory, and extended climactic battle, this verbose thriller tempts readers with a nefarious mystery involving racial and class-based violence but never quite lives up to its potential and peters out thematically by its explosive finale. However, this debut offers highly visually evocative and eerie descriptions of characters and events and will appeal to fans of creature horror, social commentary, and dark academia.
A descriptive and atmospheric paranormal social thriller that could be a bit tighter. (Thriller. 14-18)Pub Date: Sept. 26, 2023
ISBN: 9781250868138
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Review Posted Online: June 8, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2023
BOOK REVIEW
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