A captivatingly complex villain stands out in this well-written fantasy series opener.
Destiny goes awry as two teenagers—a warrior and a mage—fight a fearsome tyrant in this YA fantasy.
On Einar, life is fueled by the draod, or Power of Creation—an energy that permeates all existence. Mages who wear qilada, priceless relics of the First Heirs, can pull strands from this energy to weave spells of Destruction, Restoration, and Illusion. Though the secrets of making qilada have been lost, Einar is still ruled by seven Heirs whose powers are inherited after death by worthy successors. But a ruthless challenger has arisen: Mahzun, “the Usurper, the Wild Man, the Primal King, the Destroyer of Worlds.” He possesses a deadly magical weapon, the Eternal Blade, which he pulls from the draod at will. Wielding it comes at a price—torturous pain and injuries that have left Mahzun a scarred, grotesque figure of horror—but the Blade has the unique ability of allowing him to slay the Heirs and prevent their powers from being passed on. Six Heirs are dead; only Lord Dimitri remains, protected in a mountain fastness. Training in his service are two teenage friends: Zahara, a dark-skinned aristocrat and a highly talented mage, and Ekarath, a blond, blue-eyed, fair-skinned soldier who hopes to join Dimitri’s personal bodyguards. Knowing Mahzun is on the brink of victory, Dimitri gives Zahara and Ekarath the task of bringing a book of knowledge to Farban, an older hermit. They succeed, but Mahzun murders Dimitri, wins the war, and settles in to rule. Dimitri did manage to pass his powers on—not to Zahara but to Ekarath, who’s never cast a spell in his life. Though young and unprepared, the friends hold the only key to challenging Mahzun.
In his fifth YA fantasy novel, Monson offers one or two elements that have a familiar air. The draod is very much like the Force, and Farban recalls Obi-Wan Kenobi. But such resemblances are few, much outweighed by original and well-thought-out worldbuilding. For example, spellcasting is given more palpable reality through fabric-related metaphors such as strands, weaving, and knots. Battle scenes are crisp and exciting, and the plot ties in well with character development, as when Ekarath—a mere soldier, not an elite mage—struggles with imposter syndrome after he gains his new powers. But the real star of this show is Mahzun. Something like Satan in Milton’s Paradise Lost, he’s far and away the most compelling personality in this series opener. He sees himself as a liberator, not a tyrant—a “Savior of Man” who will free all Einar from its autocratic ruling class, a goal with democratic resonance. Several other elements give Mahzun added dimension, such as his soul bond with Aiya, his telepathic griffin mount; the relationship with his sister; and his torment by the silent ghosts of those the Blade has killed, visible only to him.
A captivatingly complex villain stands out in this well-written fantasy series opener.Pub Date: Jan. 17, 2022
ISBN: N/A
Page Count: -
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: Dec. 10, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2022
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Lush, gorgeous, precise language and propulsive plotting sweep readers into a story as intelligent as it is atmospheric.
In 16th-century Madrid, a crypto-Jew with a talent for casting spells tries to steer clear of the Inquisition.
Luzia Cotado, a scullion and an orphan, has secrets to keep: “It was a game she and her mother had played, saying one thing and thinking another, the bits and pieces of Hebrew handed down like chipped plates.” Also handed down are “refranes”—proverbs—in “not quite Spanish, just as Luzia was not quite Spanish.” When Luzia sings the refranes, they take on power. “Aboltar cazal, aboltar mazal” (“A change of scene, a change of fortune”) can mend a torn gown or turn burnt bread into a perfect loaf; “Quien no risica, no rosica” (“Whoever doesn’t laugh, doesn’t bloom”) can summon a riot of foliage in the depths of winter. The Inquisition hangs over the story like Chekhov’s famous gun on the wall. When Luzia’s employer catches her using magic, the ambitions of both mistress and servant catapult her into fame and danger. A new, even more ambitious patron instructs his supernatural servant, Guillén Santángel, to train Luzia for a magical contest. Santángel, not Luzia, is the familiar of the title; he has been tricked into trading his freedom and luck to his master’s family in exchange for something he no longer craves but can’t give up. The novel comes up against an issue common in fantasy fiction: Why don’t the characters just use their magic to solve all their problems? Bardugo has clearly given it some thought, but her solutions aren’t quite convincing, especially toward the end of the book. These small faults would be harder to forgive if she weren’t such a beautiful writer. Part fairy tale, part political thriller, part romance, the novel unfolds like a winter tree bursting into unnatural bloom in response to one of Luzia’s refranes, as she and Santángel learn about power, trust, betrayal, and love.
Lush, gorgeous, precise language and propulsive plotting sweep readers into a story as intelligent as it is atmospheric.Pub Date: April 9, 2024
ISBN: 9781250884251
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Flatiron Books
Review Posted Online: Feb. 3, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2024
Read this for the action-packed plot, not character development or worldbuilding.
On the orders of her mother, a woman goes to dragon-riding school.
Even though her mother is a general in Navarre’s army, 20-year-old Violet Sorrengail was raised by her father to follow his path as a scribe. After his death, though, Violet's mother shocks her by forcing her to enter the elite and deadly dragon rider academy at Basgiath War College. Most students die at the War College: during training sessions, at the hands of their classmates, or by the very dragons they hope to one day be paired with. From Day One, Violet is targeted by her classmates, some because they hate her mother, others because they think she’s too physically frail to succeed. She must survive a daily gauntlet of physical challenges and the deadly attacks of classmates, which she does with the help of secret knowledge handed down by her two older siblings, who'd been students there before her. Violet is at the mercy of the plot rather than being in charge of it, hurtling through one obstacle after another. As a result, the story is action-packed and fast-paced, but Violet is a strange mix of pure competence and total passivity, always managing to come out on the winning side. The book is categorized as romantasy, with Violet pulled between the comforting love she feels from her childhood best friend, Dain Aetos, and the incendiary attraction she feels for family enemy Xaden Riorson. However, the way Dain constantly undermines Violet's abilities and his lack of character development make this an unconvincing storyline. The plots and subplots aren’t well-integrated, with the first half purely focused on Violet’s training, followed by a brief detour for romance, and then a final focus on outside threats.
Read this for the action-packed plot, not character development or worldbuilding.Pub Date: May 2, 2023
ISBN: 9781649374042
Page Count: 528
Publisher: Red Tower
Review Posted Online: Jan. 12, 2024
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