In the conclusion of the Pledge trilogy, Charlaina, usually called Charlie, has become queen of Ludania, but she can’t escape the essence of the evil Sabara, which still lurks within her.
Although she’s determined to avoid a war with Queen Elena of Astonia, Charlie can’t resist Elena’s secret offer to rid her of Sabara’s essence. She teams up with elite guard Eden and best friend Brooklynn to sneak out of the Capitol and trek to Astonia in disguise. She also hopes to rescue Xander, Eden’s heartthrob and Max’s brother, whom Elena captured and whose severed hand she sent to Charlie. Charlie also carries on her romance with Max, delivered with all the conventions of the genre, including sentence fragments and pages-long clinchés. The plot’s suspense plays itself out effectively against the story’s mix of medieval and modern elements. Charlie’s characterization is not so successful, particularly when contrasted against such nifty secondary figures as Caspar, the sly young leader of a group of rogue children. Charlie herself suffers from nearly constant insecurity punctuated by momentary episodes of badass strength. These occur so seldom that the weakness wins, making Charlie seem more victim than heroine and prompting the author to resort to deus ex machina in the climactic scene.
Entertaining, but not up to Derting’s usual standards. (Paranormal suspense. 12 & up)Pub Date: Jan. 7, 2014
ISBN: 978-1-4424-4562-8
Page Count: 304
Publisher: McElderry
Review Posted Online: Oct. 2, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2013
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BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
This hefty sequel to Six of Crows (2015) brings high-tension conclusions to the many intertwined intrigues of Ketterdam.
It's time for revenge—has been ever since old-before-his-time crook Kaz and his friends were double-crossed by the merchant princes of Ketterdam, an early-industrial Amsterdam-like fantasy city filled to the brim with crime and corruption. Disabled, infuriated, and perpetually scheming Kaz, the light-skinned teen mastermind, coordinates the efforts to rescue Inej. Though Kaz is loath to admit weakness, Inej is his, for he can't bear any harm come to the knife-wielding, brown-skinned Suli acrobat. Their team is rounded out by Wylan, a light-skinned chemist and musician whose merchant father tried to have him murdered and who can't read due to a print disability; Wylan's brown-skinned biracial boyfriend, Jesper, a flirtatious gambler with ADHD; Nina, the pale brunette Grisha witch and recovering addict from Russia-like Ravka; Matthias, Nina's national enemy and great love, a big, white, blond drüskelle warrior from the cold northern lands; and Kuwei, the rescued Shu boy everyone wants to kidnap. Can these kids rescue everyone who needs rescuing in Ketterdam's vile political swamp? This is dark and violent—one notable scene features a parade of teens armed with revolvers, rifles, pistols, explosives, and flash bombs—but gut-wrenchingly genuine. Astonishingly, Bardugo keeps all these balls in the air over the 500-plus pages of narrative.
How can such a hefty tome be un-put-down-able excitement from beginning to end? (glossary) (Fantasy. 14 & up)Pub Date: Sept. 27, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-62779-213-4
Page Count: 560
Publisher: Henry Holt
Review Posted Online: Aug. 2, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2016
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When the realm is in danger, only a small band of misfits can save Allward.
An in medias res prologue, told from the point of view of the lone squire accompanying the 12 Companions of the Realm, tosses readers into the thick of a quest. Half the Companions are human heroes and half are immortal Elders; they seek to stop a rogue thief and his wizard accomplice from using a magical Spindle to tear a passage between worlds for nefarious ends. A disastrous battle sends squire Andry fleeing with Cortael’s sword so villain Taristan can’t get his hands on it. Grieving Elder Dom requires both a person of Corblood (a descendant of human travelers from another realm) and the Spindleblade Andry protects to stop Taristan from bringing ruin to the realm. Dom seeks Cortael’s secret daughter, Corayne, a bright but sheltered teenager with a pirate mother. At times the narrative tension is undermined by flashbacks that readers already know the conclusions to and by occasional repetition caused by the multiple point-of-view jumps, but there’s a wide variety of action scenes, daring escapes, and betrayals. Many tropes and character types are familiar, but exquisite descriptions and clashing motivations result in a nuanced, sprawling realm with a sense of complicated history. This world is highly diverse in terms of both skin tone and in the refreshing range of roles female characters inhabit.
An epic series opener of old-school high fantasy catering to modern audiences. (map) (Fantasy. 12-18)Pub Date: May 4, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-06-287262-3
Page Count: 576
Publisher: HarperTeen
Review Posted Online: Feb. 23, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2021
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