A somewhat formulaic but ultimately satisfying military fantasy.
In Allen’s YA fantasy series starter, a teenage boy whose village is destroyed by raiders must find his way to safety and then train with a legendary order of knights.
Fifteen-year-old Fordain Abendroth and his twin brother, Amon, are days short of officially coming of age when their village is attacked by soldiers of the Primus Emprius, a faction that would plunge the Republic of Emprius into civil war. Their parents are killed and their village burned to the ground; Amon is captured, and Fordain escapes with only his horse, Solus, and a mysterious amulet he’s worn for his entire boyhood. He pursues the rebel soldiers, vowing to rescue Amon. Instead, he manages to free Ingred de Haas, a girl his age who was taken prisoner while journeying from the land of the reptilian humanoid Draga. Fordain and Ingred set out for Aralia, a renowned island kingdom whose knights fight for just causes. Along the way, the pair are joined by the Draga-raised woodsman Elagor Vos and orphaned farm boy Evander Carro; soon, they’re all taken under the wing of Lord Maritius, a general from Aralia. The four companions are trained as knights, but will they be ready when the time comes to fight? Allen writes in the third person, primarily from Fordain’s perspective but occasionally from those of his companions. This touch of omniscience takes away some narrative urgency, as does Fordain’s philosophical attitude toward misfortune; he spares barely a thought for his dead parents, and the search for his brother feels more like a plot device than a driving motivation. The setting is refreshingly suggestive of several historical Earth cultures—ancient Rome, heraldic England, and possibly Dutch South Africa—but its rendering feels haphazard, mingling generic fantasy with Cockney English and incongruous uses of the words ere, prithee, doest, and bade (speciously rendered as bad). Allen shows a deft hand at characterization and description, effectively investing readers in the land, its peoples, and their fate. Although the story is slow to build and the conflict proves relatively small-scale, it remains engaging throughout.
A somewhat formulaic but ultimately satisfying military fantasy.Pub Date: Nov. 18, 2022
ISBN: 9781956619096
Page Count: 347
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: Jan. 1, 2023
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
An ode to the children of migrants who have been taken away.
A Mexican American boy takes on heavy responsibilities when his family is torn apart.
Mateo’s life is turned upside down the day U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents show up unsuccessfully seeking his Pa at his New York City bodega. The Garcias live in fear until the day both parents are picked up; his Pa is taken to jail and his Ma to a detention center. The adults around Mateo offer support to him and his 7-year-old sister, Sophie, however, he knows he is now responsible for caring for her and the bodega as well as trying to survive junior year—that is, if he wants to fulfill his dream to enter the drama program at the Tisch School of the Arts and become an actor. Mateo’s relationships with his friends Kimmie and Adam (a potential love interest) also suffer repercussions as he keeps his situation a secret. Kimmie is half Korean (her other half is unspecified) and Adam is Italian American; Mateo feels disconnected from them, less American, and with worries they can’t understand. He talks himself out of choosing a safer course of action, a decision that deepens the story. Mateo’s self-awareness and inner monologue at times make him seem older than 16, and, with significant turmoil in the main plot, some side elements feel underdeveloped. Aleman’s narrative joins the ranks of heart-wrenching stories of migrant families who have been separated.
An ode to the children of migrants who have been taken away. (Fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: May 4, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-7595-5605-8
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: Feb. 22, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2021
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Black is building a complex mythology; now is a great time to tune in.
Black is back with another dark tale of Faerie, this one set in Faerie and launching a new trilogy.
Jude—broken, rebuilt, fueled by anger and a sense of powerlessness—has never recovered from watching her adoptive Faerie father murder her parents. Human Jude (whose brown hair curls and whose skin color is never described) both hates and loves Madoc, whose murderous nature is true to his Faerie self and who in his way loves her. Brought up among the Gentry, Jude has never felt at ease, but after a decade, Faerie has become her home despite the constant peril. Black’s latest looks at nature and nurture and spins a tale of court intrigue, bloodshed, and a truly messed-up relationship that might be the saving of Jude and the titular prince, who, like Jude, has been shaped by the cruelties of others. Fierce and observant Jude is utterly unaware of the currents that swirl around her. She fights, plots, even murders enemies, but she must also navigate her relationship with her complex family (human, Faerie, and mixed). This is a heady blend of Faerie lore, high fantasy, and high school drama, dripping with description that brings the dangerous but tempting world of Faerie to life.
Black is building a complex mythology; now is a great time to tune in. (Fantasy. 14-adult)Pub Date: Jan. 2, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-316-31027-7
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: Sept. 25, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2017
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