An intriguing premise that gets bogged down in telling rather than showing.
In the land of Metakse, a girl training as a swordsmith discovers societal injustice.
Wehia Jirin t’Doniyat is a young apprentice who has left the holding where her family members are makers of ornamental daggers and kitchen knives, all looked down upon by swordsmithing families for their utilitarian products. Yearning to create a longsword similar to Cold Steel, her family heirloom, Wehia journeys to the City of Swords to stay at the holding of her kin, the famed t’Tolani swordsmiths. There, she apprentices with her aunt, forge mistress Hadana, and, tempering her hotheadedness, undertakes grueling chores. The descriptions of Wehia’s training, feelings of homesickness, and the smithing process, while repetitive, fit the training montage trope and suit her coming-of-age story. Her budding romance with Geri Shaara, another apprentice, feels stilted and distant compared to their warm friendship, however. The disjointed worldbuilding includes a religious framework—matriarchal swordsmith holdings and worship of the Sword Goddess—that isn’t coherently integrated into the societal issues involving the ruling aristocracy and gender inequities. Similarly, Wehia’s developing views on the unequal treatment of the nomadic border people feel frustratingly distant rather than being an organic, thought-provoking parallel to modern issues. The repetitive, infodump-prone narrative style reduces the emotional impact and dramatic tension, but the story is buoyed by touching childhood flashbacks. The characters are minimally described physically and present as fantasy-diverse.
An intriguing premise that gets bogged down in telling rather than showing. (guide to Metakse, months of the Metakse year) (Fantasy. 12-16)Pub Date: Nov. 12, 2024
ISBN: 9781958051788
Page Count: 234
Publisher: Snowy Wings Publishing
Review Posted Online: Sept. 4, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2024
A lushly written story with an intriguing heart.
After praying to a Fate for help, Evangeline discovers the dangerous world of magic.
When her father passes away, Evangeline is left with her cold stepmother and kind but distant stepsister, Marisol. Despite inheriting a steady trust in magic, belief in her late mother’s homeland of the mystical North (where fantastical creatures live), and philosophy of hope for the future, her dreams are dashed when Luc, her love, pledges to marry Marisol instead. Evangeline desperately prays to the Prince of Hearts, a dangerous and fickle Fate famed for his heart that is waiting to be revived by his one true love—and his potentially lethal kisses. The bargain they strike sends her on a dark and magical journey throughout the land. The writing style fluctuates from clever and original to overly verbose and often confusing in its jumble of senses. While the pervasive magic and concept of the Fates as a religious system add interest, other fantasy elements are haphazardly incorporated without enough time devoted to building a cohesive world. However, the themes of love, the power of story, family influence, and holding onto belief are well rounded and add depth. The plot contains welcome surprises, and the large cast piques curiosity; readers will wish more time was spent getting to know them. Evangeline has rose-gold hair and, like other main characters, reads as White; there is diversity among the fantasy races in this world.
A lushly written story with an intriguing heart. (map) (Fantasy. 12-16)Pub Date: Sept. 28, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-250-26839-6
Page Count: 416
Publisher: Flatiron Books
Review Posted Online: July 27, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2021
Dark, seductive, but over-the-top: Characters and book alike will enthrall those who choose to play.
Garber returns to the world of bestseller Caraval (2017), this time with the focus on younger, more daring sister Donatella.
Valenda, capital of the empire, is host to the second of Legend’s magical games in a single year, and while Scarlett doesn’t want to play again, blonde Tella is eager for a chance to prove herself. She is haunted by the memory of her death in the last game and by the cursed Deck of Destiny she used as a child which foretold her loveless future. Garber has changed many of the rules of her expanding world, which now appears to be infused with magic and evil Fates. Despite a weak plot and ultraviolet prose (“He tasted like exquisite nightmares and stolen dreams, like the wings of fallen angels, and bottles of fresh moonlight.”), this is a tour de force of imagination. Themes of love, betrayal, and the price of magic (and desire) swirl like Caraval’s enchantments, and Dante’s sensuous kisses will thrill readers as much as they do Tella. The convoluted machinations of the Prince of Hearts (one of the Fates), Legend, and even the empress serve as the impetus for Tella’s story and set up future volumes which promise to go bigger. With descriptions focusing primarily on clothing, characters’ ethnicities are often indeterminate.
Dark, seductive, but over-the-top: Characters and book alike will enthrall those who choose to play. (glossary) (Fantasy. 12-16)Pub Date: May 29, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-250-09531-2
Page Count: 464
Publisher: Flatiron Books
Review Posted Online: March 19, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2018
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