An old-fashioned fantasy, but younger readers seeking a new world to explore may enjoy its classic feel.
In Rivera’s epic debut YA fantasy novel, a group of children faces off against an evil ice queen.
At the novel’s outset, a group of children plans a daring escape from the Ice Queen’s prison. At first, the story’s 11-year-old hero, John, doesn’t feel up to the task, but his unlikely friendship with a talking rat teaches him that he may have latent talents, including the ability to illuminate himself and summon an otherworldly power. He eventually helps his friends out of many dire situations. In their journey from the Ice Queen’s palace to the home of the Fire King, they encounter many challenges and adventures, meet extraordinary creatures and learn more about the pasts that the Ice Queen wiped from their memories. Although one of the children perishes along the way (and others turn against their friends), the group manages to survive against the odds. It’s unclear who the target audience for this book is, although it’s apparently aimed at an older middle-grade or younger YA audience. There are suggestions that the young characters are in their teens (and some hints of romance), but the text repeatedly refers to them as “kids,” and they speak in a somewhat hokey dialect; some phrases, such as “Stop being such a square,” seem to have been borrowed from a 1950s sitcom. The relationships between the boys and girls are also somewhat old-fashioned: The boys always seem to be the heroes, while the girls tend to be mere love interests. For example, when the kids are forced to choose between two factions, readers are told that a girl named Pippy “had a crush on Rob, so she would go to whichever side he had chosen.” (Shortly after this scene, helpless Pippy runs away after she’s overwhelmed by having to make a decision.) However, although the book is on the long side, it moves along quickly, with lots of action and new dangers to threaten the intrepid children, and its ending leaves room for a sequel.
An old-fashioned fantasy, but younger readers seeking a new world to explore may enjoy its classic feel.Pub Date: Nov. 6, 2013
ISBN: 978-0988739321
Page Count: 360
Publisher: Jonathan Rivera
Review Posted Online: Jan. 6, 2014
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
A thrilling, history-filled adventure.
Cantwell concludes his Tollan trilogy with high school time-traveler Peter Collins’ greatest adventure yet.
In previous books in the series, Peter and his friend Rosa traveled to ancient Mexico with the help of the serpent god Quetzalcoatl. Now they journey to Tenochtitlan, the city of the Aztecs, where they must set history on its right course. Tasked with no little feat, Peter and Rosa reach the heart of one of the most contentious times in Mexican history. When a conquistador—known in Spanish as Cortes—comes to the Aztec city, Peter and Rosa help Emperor Montezuma deal with the newcomer. Together they must figure out if the man is Topiltzin—the human reincarnation of Quetzalcoatl—or a stranger bent on conquering the city by force. Eventually, Quetzalcoatl does in fact return, and he brings Peter and Rosa forward in history to the city of Choula, where they try to bring peace to the nascent country of Mexico by convincing the Spaniards that Mexicans deserve love, respect and equality. Cantwell superbly recreates ancient Mexico with colorful descriptions of city buildings, citizens’ attire and specific details like blood in the streets from human sacrifices. Despite offering an admirable message for kids, the trip to Choula feels out of place and more like a mere detour. Additionally, readers are swept away before seeing the fall of the Aztecs, which is a bit disappointing; the end of Topiltzin’s story is merely told to reader rather than shown. Nonetheless, Cantwell brings his trilogy to a satisfying conclusion, as Peter and Rosa realize they’re more than just friends, and Peter finally learns the shocking truth of his parentage.
A thrilling, history-filled adventure.Pub Date: Nov. 20, 2012
ISBN: 978-1475958492
Page Count: 122
Publisher: iUniverse
Review Posted Online: Jan. 21, 2013
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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A simple, engaging dystopian YA tale of freethinking and self-determination.
In Fridgen’s debut young-adult dystopian novel, a young girl, her grandmother and her only friend race to escape the repressive, walled city of Philadelphia.
In a near-future, post-apocalyptic world, human society has separated into city-states based on religious belief. Teenager Ruth3:5 lives in Philadelphia, where all aspects of life are determined by the GovernChurch. Men and women are separated at age 13, electricity is rationed, and fathers visit their families for ChristBirth services and to threaten and beat their wives and children. Girls who show too much independence are forced to join the Magdalenes, where most die young after being used as prostitutes by the men of MensTown. Biblecation has replaced education—people are even named after Bible verses. No dissent or questions are allowed. But Ruth3:5 has a mind of her own and wants to use it. When she publicly challenges the accuracy of a Bible passage, she sets off a chain of events that leads her to flee from Philadelphia with her grandmother and male best friend, Two Sam, in search of the fabled city of Manhattan, where people are still allowed to think for themselves and believe what they want. The story delivers a dystopian fable in the vein of 1984 or Brave New World, but where Orwell warned about the dangers of a totalitarian state and Huxley wrote of mind control through drugs and distraction, Fridgen focuses on the dangers of religious fundamentalism. However, the novel is also a fast-paced adventure with likable main characters, written in a unadorned, competent style. Throughout, the author handles dialogue and character development well, although some readers may wish that both were a bit more complex at times. That said, Fridgen smartly explores the impact of his world’s version of fundamentalism on the daily lives of women and convincingly connects the rigid belief system to sexism and brutality. In the end, however, how compelling readers will find the fable may depend on how dangerous and believable they feel the threat of religious fundamentalism to be.
A simple, engaging dystopian YA tale of freethinking and self-determination.Pub Date: Nov. 27, 2012
ISBN: 9780615701790
Page Count: 368
Publisher: Dreamlly Books
Review Posted Online: Feb. 1, 2013
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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