Engaging but overloaded.
A series opener infused with Chinese folklore and populated by supernatural creatures.
As punishment for the first Emperor’s greed, the gods unleashed nightmarish Wrathlings to terrorize the Middle Kingdom, later known as China. The heavenly Jade Emperor eventually relented and provided the kingdom with protection: 12 warriors, each descended from a Chinese zodiac animal. Generations later, during the Second Opium War, the zodiac warriors’ source of power, a fountain called the Circle of Twelve, was dismantled, and the Descendants were cursed, becoming supernatural beings. In present-day Manhattan, the Earthly Branches Academy trains the Descendants and assigns them to protect mortals. When Julius Long, Chancellor of the Descendants’ High Council, dies while attempting to restore the Circle of Twelve, dissatisfaction with the Long family’s leadership begins to stir among the Council, and vampire Evangeline Long is compelled to continue her brother’s mission to prove her worth. To recover the Circle’s stolen pieces, Evangeline forms a specialized team: expert criminal and werewolf Tristan She, fox spirit Nicholas Hu (a master of disguise), Lei, a shaman with valuable knowledge of the Faerie realm, and Alice Jiang, a human who can read minds. This story has many appealing elements—a dangerous heist, a potential second-chance romance, and fantastical beings—but some of the more original elements are overly complex and unconvincing. The book also covers so much worldbuilding that it descends into infodumps and doesn’t fully coalesce.
Engaging but overloaded. (illustrated character guide) (Fantasy. 14-18)Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2024
ISBN: 9780593646410
Page Count: 416
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: Aug. 3, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A lackluster and sometimes disturbing mishmash of overused tropes.
The Plague has left a population divided between Elites and Ordinaries—those who have powers and those who don’t; now, an Ordinary teen fights for her life.
Paedyn Gray witnessed the king kill her father five years ago, and she’s been thieving and sleeping rough ever since, all while faking Psychic abilities. When she inadvertently saves the life of Prince Kai, she becomes embroiled in the Purging Trials, a competition to commemorate the sickness that killed most of the kingdom’s Ordinaries. Kai’s duties as the future Enforcer include eradicating any remaining Ordinaries, and these Trials are his chance to prove that he’s internalized his brutal training. But Kai can’t help but find Pae’s blue eyes, silver hair, and unabashed attitude enchanting. She likewise struggles to resist his stormy gray eyes, dark hair, and rakish behavior, even as they’re pitted against each other in the Trials and by the king himself. Scenes and concepts that are strongly reminiscent of the Hunger Games fall flat: They aren’t bolstered by the original’s heart or worldbuilding logic that would have justified a few extreme story elements. Illogical leaps and inconsistent characterizations abound, with lighthearted romantic interludes juxtaposed against genocide, child abuse, and sadism. These elements, which are not sufficiently addressed, combined with the use of ableist language, cannot be erased by any amount of romantic banter. Main characters are cued white; the supporting cast has some brown-skinned characters.
A lackluster and sometimes disturbing mishmash of overused tropes. (map) (Fantasy. 14-18)Pub Date: Nov. 7, 2023
ISBN: 9798987380406
Page Count: 538
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Sept. 9, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2023
A charming cozy fantasy about defying expectations and finding love.
The lives of two Los Angeles girls inhabiting different universes intersect, proving that love knows no bounds.
Brenda Nguyen has a 19-step plan to save the world. Kat Woo is haunted by her legacy as the chosen one, a role she has no interest in. Brenda, working on an environmental science college scholarship application, stumbles into Sammy’s Coffee and Pick-Me-Ups, which Kat’s family owns. As the girls get to know each other, Brenda at last finds someone who’ll listen to her detailed plans, while Kat discovers she has something to look forward to. The girls, who alternate narrating the story, must defy the odds as their worlds begin to collide. As well as being a love story, this is an exploration of familial expectations: Kat is trying to outrun them, while Brenda is driven to fulfill hers. The girls, who are of Chinese and Vietnamese descent, respectively, complement each other: Brenda learns to live in the present, and Kat begins to look to the future. While there are pixie swarms and mana surges, the action takes a back seat to characterization. Lee’s fully developed parallel worlds are alike in many ways, although in Kat’s, you can buy teleportation spells at Target. The cast is rounded out by solid portrayals of the girls’ friends and family, who are important to the plot.
A charming cozy fantasy about defying expectations and finding love. (author’s note, recommended reading) (Fantasy romance. 14-18)Pub Date: June 10, 2025
ISBN: 9781250778024
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Review Posted Online: March 8, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2025
BOOK REVIEW
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