Absorbing.
Kill or be killed.
Romans were driven from Britain, now called Albion, by the rise of a fierce and fiery god. To sate him, young women are sent up his mountain as living sacrifices and returned after the god takes his due—hands, eyes, memory. When willing sacrifice Ilva is instead rejected and killed by the god, her twin, Anya, puts herself forward as a replacement. She actually plans to kill the god. Vivid writing, a righteous cause, and a cast of interesting side characters—corrupt religious figures, nomadic rebels, a boy with mysterious gifts—make for an engrossing journey. Anya draws strength from Ilva’s ghost, which appears to her, and her own conviction that the god is wrong. In her willingness to break rules (including physical intimacy with the aforementioned boy), she discovers truths that further her determination. A small pendant with Christian imagery plays a small but vital role; the god’s holy book, the Cataclysm, has passages with a biblical feel; and the wicked god looks not unlike conventional representations of the devil. But at the same time, this is a tale of female empowerment for Anya and all the women she represents as she fights against the god’s demands, making for unclear deeper metaphoric and thematic meaning; fortunately, the surface-level historical fantasy makes for a satisfying read apart from the deeper messages. Albion is depicted with some racial and sexual diversity; the twins are White.
Absorbing. (Historical fantasy. 13-18)Pub Date: Nov. 22, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-66590-270-0
Page Count: 352
Publisher: McElderry
Review Posted Online: Sept. 13, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2022
An inventive, character-driven twist breathes new life into tired fantasy trends.
Amid a war and rising civil unrest, a young thief discovers the shocking power within her that sparks a revolution.
At 17, Mare knows that without an apprenticeship or job, her next birthday will bring a conscription to join the war. She contributes to her poor family’s income the only way she can, stealing from the Silvers, who possess myriad powers and force her and her fellow Reds into servitude. The Silvers literally bleed silver, and they can manipulate metal, plants and animals, among many other talents. When Mare’s best friend, Kilorn, loses his job and is doomed to conscription, she is determined to change his fate. She stumbles into a mysterious stranger after her plan goes awry and is pulled out of her village and into the world of Silver royalty. Once inside the palace walls, it isn’t long before Mare learns that powers unknown to red-blooded humans lie within her, powers that could lead a revolution. Familiar tropes abound. Mare is revealed as a great catalyst for change among classes and is groomed from rags to riches, and of course, seemingly kind characters turn out to be foes. However, Aveyard weaves a compelling new world, and Mare and the two men in her life evolve intriguingly as class tension rises. Revolution supersedes romance, setting the stage for action-packed surprises.
An inventive, character-driven twist breathes new life into tired fantasy trends. (Fantasy. 13 & up)Pub Date: Feb. 10, 2015
ISBN: 978-0-06-231063-7
Page Count: 400
Publisher: HarperTeen
Review Posted Online: Nov. 10, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2014
BOOK TO SCREEN
Eerie and mysterious.
Sixteen-year-old orphaned twin sisters become embroiled with a coven of witches.
When the orphanage’s night matron attacks Ophelia and Serena, white-presenting twins “born on either side of midnight,” Serena’s previously untapped magical powers emerge. She sends a bolt of lightning hurtling toward the night matron. Ultimately the twins must be saved by two witches, who reveal that their adversary was a Dark Witch in disguise. Their rescuers—Sagittarius, who has tawny brown skin, jet black hair, and “almond eyes” and can conjure portals, and Leo, a pale-skinned redhead with the power of telekinesis—are part of a coven based on star signs, with new members born each year. The Twelve are duty-bound to kill Dark Witches. After they’re whisked away from the orphanage, the sisters are introduced to other members of the coven, each named for an astrological sign, including ebony-skinned Taurus, who’s their head witch. Ophelia and Serena are pressured to join as Pisces and Aries in order to help the group assemble the strongest force possible for their inevitable battle against the Dark Twelve, who are led by the world’s highest-ranked witch. This atmospheric, pulse-pounding fantasy of sisterhood and witchcraft initially seems like a classic tale of good versus evil but quickly becomes something much more ambiguous but no less chilling. Unfortunately, it can be difficult to differentiate among the large cast due to some of their personalities being underdeveloped.
Eerie and mysterious. (Fantasy. 13-18)Pub Date: Feb. 24, 2026
ISBN: 9780063339552
Page Count: 368
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Dec. 12, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2026
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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