An enjoyable, mystical coming-of-age, complete with quick getaways, motorcycle chases and no distraction from the...
Kincy serves up this series entry blessedly free from the Other novels' usual heavy-handed racism metaphors, finally offering the characters a straightforward action-adventure.
Tavian, the romantic object of Other (2010), is returning to a Japan he hasn't seen since he was 6 years old. What should be a routine visit to the adoptive grandparents he's never met is haunted—literally—by a faceless ghost, a noppera-bo, that seems to be tailing him. Tavian is a kitsune, a fox shifter, and his accompanying girlfriend, Gwen, is half-pooka. There is much less bigotry against the shape-shifting Others in Tokyo than Tavian experienced in rural Washington, but there's plenty of other things to worry about. Shape-shifting gangsters keep trying to attack Tavian, for no obvious reason. Tavian fights a mysterious illness he was left with after his adventures in Other, and possibly only some kitsune shrine maidens can help. Everything seems to tie back to the mother who abandoned Tavian when he was just a child, an ignorant fox kit freezing in the woods. Tavian's need to know his past leads him on supernatural adventures around Tokyo, where he discovers satisfyingly predictable revelations.
An enjoyable, mystical coming-of-age, complete with quick getaways, motorcycle chases and no distraction from the already-established, comfortable romance . (Paranormal romance. 13-15)Pub Date: Oct. 8, 2012
ISBN: 978-0-7387-3057-8
Page Count: 312
Publisher: Flux
Review Posted Online: Aug. 21, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2012
Taking up where Libyrinth (2009) left off, the spotlight of this sequel falls on Po and his difficulty adapting to the new culture rising from the life-changing Redemption. Po comes from a female-dominant culture: He’s hostile to men, protective of women and naïve about the motives and manipulations of others. After one transgression too many, he joins a quest searching for an artifact that will restore ecological balance to the deteriorating environment. While its predecessor examined religious/political belief systems, this volume explores differences among the various groups’ gender and sexual mores. Po becomes sexually active and makes dangerous mistakes before changing (quite realistically) his point of view and behavior. Sympathy for Po will carry readers until the excitement and suspense of the quest take over. Themes of abuse of authority, the nature of prejudice and the power of the written word remain from the first book—but with tricky and interesting twists. Background information is skillfully integrated into the plot in this clever, thought-provoking book that has appeal for fans of serious science fiction and fantasy. (Science fiction. 13-15)
Pub Date: Nov. 1, 2010
ISBN: 978-0-7653-2097-1
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Tor
Review Posted Online: Sept. 24, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2010
BOOK REVIEW
The Salt trilogy closes with a third generation of children fighting petty but dangerous evils. Hana, a girl from the city's wretched Bawdhouse Burrow, is orphaned when her mother is burned as a witch. Ben grows up far from the city, raised by his grandparents Pearl and Hari in the idyllic village from Gool (2010). When Hana flees the city, she brings with her a terrifying message for those outside its darkness: The Limping Man is coming. He has the terrible power to make people love him even as he torments them, and he plans to wipe out all who stand against him. Since most of the outsiders—Ben's family, the forest Dwellers and "the people without a name"—have mental powers, the Limping Man intends to massacre them. Ben and Hana, along with their allies, must find the Limping Man's secret in order to save their own lives and homes. Ben and Hana’s victories, like those of their parents and grandparents, are local. Even if they do defeat the Limping Man, they cannot vanquish evil from the world; life in the burrows will likely continue to be nasty, brutish and short. The heroes' personalities are defined by their harsh environments, but they reach beyond those limitations. Fantasy heroes who can save only themselves and their loved ones are a welcome change from the usual. (Fantasy. 13-15)
Pub Date: March 1, 2011
ISBN: 978-1-55469-216-3
Page Count: 208
Publisher: Orca
Review Posted Online: Feb. 17, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2011
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