A surreal, weird, and enthralling brew of fantasy, SF, and other elements.
In this novel, a girl experiences an existential crisis when she has her heart stolen.
A nameless girl tells readers her story—how she was perfectly created by a swan. Then she turns her back on the swan and vows to fight Death: “I will make these groping brass hooks of mine into tentacles. I will open my eyes in both directions into emptiness. I will learn to swim in air and land and void.” Her heart is stolen; the world has either ended or will end; her friends are in peril; and the existence of her very soul is to be decided. She goes to Principal Entropy’s School, which human and slightly otherworldly kids attend. It is one of two schools in Horizon, the other being Bleak Academy. According to legend, God created one school and the devil, the other, but it is unclear which is which or if the story is even true. What is true: Giselle, one of the girl’s best friends, is Death’s sister, and she is taken from school against her will. Along with this distressing event, the protagonist faces other challenges. Her first boyfriend steals her heart, leaving behind the husk of a girl. But her comprehension of what may be wrong with her started with her first kiss in a hallway during an apocalypse. And all of this makes sense in a roundabout way: It simply has to do with the truth of the world. Moran’s compelling novel is a unique, original story. With elements of fantasy, SF, weird fiction, and fairy tales, the book not only defies genre definitions, but also invites readers to enjoy a roller-coaster ride that is frequently disorienting but often funny, invigorating, empowering, and heartbreaking: “To be heartless is to lose your stories.” The tale doesn’t waste time explaining its worldbuilding; facets of it seep into the unreliable narrative subtly but not enough to form a concrete, step-by-step guide for the audience. In this way, readers experience Horizon in the same way as the hero, through the fuzzy line between the metaphorical and the literal, slowly understanding that things are not quite right with this world. This allows for an empathetic, deep connection with the protagonist in what is a heady, fantastical journey.
A surreal, weird, and enthralling brew of fantasy, SF, and other elements. (Fantasy. 14-adult)Pub Date: July 18, 2012
ISBN: 978-1-5007-5731-1
Page Count: 431
Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform
Review Posted Online: June 8, 2022
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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
An unwieldy but emotionally intense fantasy.
In the Riew siblings’ debut, inspired by their Korean grandparents’ experiences during Japan’s early-20th-century colonization of Korea, a hunt is on for the last surviving tiger.
In the Tiger Colonies, this fantasy world’s version of occupied Korea, tigers have been nearly wiped out by the Dragon Empire. These oppressive rulers believe that tiger ki, or powers, strengthen the Tiger people, and therefore, the animals must be exterminated. Lee Seung, who’s from a poor Tiger family, works for the wealthy Chois, a Tiger family who collaborate with the Dragons. Choi Eunji might live in material comfort, but her home feels like “a cage” thanks to her parents’ high expectations and control of her every move. She offers to tutor Seung for the Adachi Training Academy’s entrance exam; graduates attain elite, powerful positions. In return he’ll help Eunji experience life outside her cloistered manor. Despite their class differences, both teens long for freedom, but Seung fails the exam, and their paths diverge. They reunite during a frantic search for the last tiger—but are their motivations aligned? Some plot developments feel contrived, and the introduction of real historical elements at times feels deliberately educational rather than naturally emerging from the story. Nevertheless, the story vividly highlights the plight of Koreans during a traumatic era.
An unwieldy but emotionally intense fantasy. (authors’ note, diary excerpts) (Fantasy. 12-18)Pub Date: July 29, 2025
ISBN: 9798217002047
Page Count: 416
Publisher: Kokila
Review Posted Online: May 3, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2025
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