A tumultuous love story blends with an uphill battle against evil in this entrancing work.
Looming war complicates the romance of a pair of star-crossed lovers in Storms’ YA fantasy novel.
In the high-fantasy realm of Na’uni, Alaris Kahlanik, a girl on the cusp of turning 16, has had a tough enough life as a member of the servant class. Then she gets rounded up and thrown into the Cells in the dead of night on the orders of the Emperor, Patuk. Guardsman Kagan Liis takes an interest in the imprisoned servant girl under the direction of “the Darkness,” the malevolent entity behind the throne. As Kagan investigates Alaris’ background, the imprisoned girl discovers a way out of the Cells…in a sense: She can “dreamwalk” as her soul departs from her body. While dreamwalking, Alaris discovers what the emperor has been seeking: a dragon. She later learns she can communicate telepathically with the dragon she names Nuiteniho (nicknamed “Niho”), who, sadly, has lost her memory. Meanwhile, the Darkness orders Kagan to discover what supernatural abilities Alaris may possess (“She comes from a long family line of those with special means”). Alaris ultimately reconnects with her long-lost sister, Ayanna, who is leading a revolution against Patuk. The author is to be applauded for the smooth manner in which she has combined disparate elements—a will they/won’t they relationship between two people from different castes is more fun to follow when an eccentric dragon such as Niho enters the mix. Storms also carefully unspools a complex backstory, rewarding the reader with little nuggets that prove to be gold in the end. Her two leads are eminently likable as they seek to fill in the holes in their life stories, just like Niho (they are also seemingly the only ones unable to recognize that their romance is inevitable). The villains lack subtlety but they adequately play their parts. The result is an engaging romp through a fascinating land.
A tumultuous love story blends with an uphill battle against evil in this entrancing work.Pub Date: June 27, 2023
ISBN: 9781732849266
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Rainestorms Press
Review Posted Online: July 6, 2023
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Raw, delicate, and deeply caring.
When Death-Cast doesn’t call, fate intertwines the lives of two boys, both haunted by their pasts and with futures they can’t escape.
In this third installment of the series that opened with 2017’s They Both Die at the End, Paz Dario waits every night for Death-Cast to call—as it should have for his father nearly 10 years ago, when Paz shot him to save his mother’s life. But the call never comes. Death-Cast killed Paz’s dreams of an acting career: No one will hire him now because the world sees him as a villain. When Paz tries (not for the first time) to put an end to his suffering, an unexpected encounter with Alano Rosa, the heir of Death-Cast, stops him. Both in a place of desperation, Alano and Paz sign a contract to live for Begin Days instead of waiting for their End Days. As suspenseful and emotionally wrenching as the previous titles in the series, this new installment explores heavy themes of abuse, mental health, self-harm, and suicide. Paz grapples with a recent diagnosis of borderline personality disorder. Silvera surrounds Alano and Paz with a web of complex relationships. Although the protagonists fall fast for one another and form a deep connection over Alano’s desire to support Paz, Silvera emphasizes the importance of professional help. Both Alano and Paz have Puerto Rican heritage. The cliffhanger ending promises more to come.
Raw, delicate, and deeply caring. (content warning, resources) (Speculative fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: May 6, 2025
ISBN: 9780063240858
Page Count: 720
Publisher: Quill Tree Books/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: March 22, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2025
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
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