A trilogy closer that gives all the characters chances to grow and shine.
The peoples of Scotia and the Skye clans must come together.
After the events of The Broken Raven (2021), Sigrid brings a dire warning to the Skye clans: Ingland’s villainous King Edmund is coming for them, and he’s teamed up with Konge Grímr to get revenge on our heroes. To counter their dark weapons, the various factions (such as Jaime and Agatha’s Clann-a-Tuath, Clann-na-Bruthaich, Bó Riders like Cray, the Raasay islanders, and even more unexpected former enemies) must join forces. Forming and maintaining a common front requires personal risks and connections from the young protagonists, especially when various cultures clash. While the bringing together of unlikely alliances to stave off a powerful enemy is just the kind of climactic conclusion readers expect from final entries in fantasy series, the personal storylines of the three characters keep things fresh. When Agatha is abducted, she goes on a journey of discovery—learning the full extent of what she’s capable of and making peace with mysteries from her past. Jaime grapples with his insecurities as he pushes Cray away out of internalized fear of his culture’s views on homosexuality and leans heavily into blood magic, becoming overly dependent on his sword; eventually he must set aside the messages from his community and come to his own conclusions. Meanwhile, bold Sigrid’s heroism continually pays off, earning her an exciting new direction.
A trilogy closer that gives all the characters chances to grow and shine. (note about languages) (Fantasy. 12-18)Pub Date: Jan. 4, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-5362-0749-1
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Walker US/Candlewick
Review Posted Online: Oct. 25, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2021
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A disappointing delivery on a potentially gripping second volume.
Evangeline faces new dangers in her quest for happiness in this follow-up to 2021’s Once Upon a Broken Heart.
As Evangeline Fox seeks a cure for her poisoned husband, Prince Apollo, the enticing and infuriating Fate Jacks reappears, offering to save Apollo if she unlocks the Valory Arch. Remembering the long list of ills brought upon her by the Fate, Evangeline refuses. When the new heir arrives and Apollo wakes with a new curse and glowing red eyes, she is forced to delve into the mysteries of the Valors and find the arch’s four missing magical stones whose powers are luck, truth, mirth, and youth. The inclusion of expanded Valor lore alongside the preexisting blend of fairy-tale and paranormal creatures is intriguing and fits the overarching theme of storytelling as history. The ongoing use of emotions as a scale for displaying and determining one’s humanity, especially by Fates, is equally interesting. Unfortunately, the impact of Evangeline’s often amusing narration and numerous surprising plot twists is diluted by the meandering pacing, convoluted sensory descriptions, and close focus on Evangeline’s fluctuating attraction toward her potential love interests. Despite the positive emphasis on hope and happily-ever-afters, Evangeline’s romantic relationship with Jacks borders on manipulative and toxic. Evangeline reads White; side characters are fantasy diverse.
A disappointing delivery on a potentially gripping second volume. (map) (Fantasy. 13-18)Pub Date: Sept. 13, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-250-26842-6
Page Count: 416
Publisher: Flatiron Books
Review Posted Online: July 26, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2022
Cracking page-turner with a multiethnic band of misfits with differing sexual orientations who satisfyingly, believably jell...
Adolescent criminals seek the haul of a lifetime in a fantasyland at the beginning of its industrial age.
The dangerous city of Ketterdam is governed by the Merchant Council, but in reality, large sectors of the city are given over to gangs who run the gambling dens and brothels. The underworld's rising star is 17-year-old Kaz Brekker, known as Dirtyhands for his brutal amorality. Kaz walks with chronic pain from an old injury, but that doesn't stop him from utterly destroying any rivals. When a councilman offers him an unimaginable reward to rescue a kidnapped foreign chemist—30 million kruge!—Kaz knows just the team he needs to assemble. There's Inej, an itinerant acrobat captured by slavers and sold to a brothel, now a spy for Kaz; the Grisha Nina, with the magical ability to calm and heal; Matthias the zealot, hunter of Grishas and caught in a hopeless spiral of love and vengeance with Nina; Wylan, the privileged boy with an engineer's skills; and Jesper, a sharpshooter who keeps flirting with Wylan. Bardugo broadens the universe she created in the Grisha Trilogy, sending her protagonists around countries that resemble post-Renaissance northern Europe, where technology develops in concert with the magic that's both coveted and despised. It’s a highly successful venture, leaving enough open questions to cause readers to eagerly await Volume 2.
Cracking page-turner with a multiethnic band of misfits with differing sexual orientations who satisfyingly, believably jell into a family . (Fantasy. 14 & up)Pub Date: Sept. 29, 2015
ISBN: 978-1-62779-212-7
Page Count: 480
Publisher: Henry Holt
Review Posted Online: June 28, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2015
BOOK TO SCREEN
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