A fun, quick read that returns Disney fans to a world of characters they love.
Braswell (Once upon a Dream, 2016, etc.) picks up this epic fairy tale five years after Ariel and Eric lose to Ursula.
Imagine that Eric and Vanessa do get married: Ursula’s nautilus shell necklace never breaks, freeing Ariel’s voice, and since she cannot sing, Eric remains entranced by Vanessa. King Triton steps in for his daughter and becomes Ursula’s prisoner. Ariel returns, mute, to Atlantica to rule in his stead, believing her father to be dead. When Scuttle the sea gull gets a lead that King Triton is alive, Ariel returns to the surface in hopes of finding her father and restoring him to the throne. Nothing goes to plan, but with the help of her friends she attempts to put an end to Ursula’s evil plans. Ariel and Eric are still ridiculously moony-eyed over one another, and some details are somewhat far-fetched even for a fairy tale, but lyrical nods to the music in the movie as well as quippy dialogue (and the nostalgia factor) make this a magical read. The characters are fleshed out with more background, showing how their experiences have shaped them. With one minor exception, all characters are assumed white.
A fun, quick read that returns Disney fans to a world of characters they love. (Fiction. 13-18)Pub Date: Sept. 4, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-368-01381-9
Page Count: 480
Publisher: Disney Press
Review Posted Online: June 23, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2018
Immersive and engaging, despite some flaws, and destined to capture imaginations.
Magic, mystery, and love intertwine and invite in this newest take on the “enchanted circus” trope.
Sisters raised by their abusive father, a governor of a colonial backwater in a world vaguely reminiscent of the late 18th century, Scarlett and Donatella each long for something more. Scarlett, olive-skinned, dark of hair and attitude, longs for Caraval, the fabled, magical circus helmed by the possibly evil Master Legend Santos, while blonde, sunny Tella finds comfort in drink and the embraces of various men. A slightly awkward start, with inconsistencies of attitude and setting, rapidly smooths out when they, along with handsome “golden-brown” sailor Julian, flee to Caraval on the eve of Scarlett’s arranged marriage. Tella disappears, and Scarlett must navigate a nighttime world of magic to find her. Caraval delights the senses: beautiful and scary, described in luscious prose, this is a show readers will wish they could enter. Dresses can be purchased for secrets or days of life; clocks can become doors; bridges move: this is an inventive and original circus, laced with an edge of horror. A double love story, one sensual romance and the other sisterly loyalty, anchors the plot, but the real star here is Caraval and its secrets.
Immersive and engaging, despite some flaws, and destined to capture imaginations. (Fantasy. 14 & up)Pub Date: Jan. 31, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-250-09525-1
Page Count: 416
Publisher: Flatiron Books
Review Posted Online: Sept. 18, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2016
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A romance born from danger with a fantastic buildup.
Secrets of the past and familial tensions abound in this sequel that teases forbidden romance.
Quell’s connection to her toushana, or dark magic, poses such a great threat to the magical Order of grand Houses, haughty debutantes, and high-stakes bureaucracy that the powerful Dragun brotherhood has determined she must die. Jordan, a former lover still hurt by Quell’s decision to bind to her toushana, is leading the charge—and unbeknownst to them both, Yagrin, his brother who has long hated the Order, has sided with Quell under false pretenses. The narration alternates among the voices of Quell, Jordan, and Nore, who wants a simpler life than her role as heir to the House of Ambrose can afford her; she’s dedicated to resolving this problem by any means necessary. The racially diverse cast of characters is large and at times unwieldy, but as Quell decides to leave the safe houses that have kept her hidden and reenter the world of lavish magical balls to find her long-lost mother, reminders of the earlier volume—beautiful gowns, cattiness, fish-out-of-water awkwardness—bring all the threads together, allowing for continued worldbuilding and a fuller story. Ultimately, Quell and Jordan’s tension boils over into the passionate romance it was always meant to be as the two partner with Yagrin and Nore to reveal the Order’s biggest secrets and potentially change the future of magic forever.
A romance born from danger with a fantastic buildup. (author’s note, histories of the houses, map, lexicon) (Fantasy. 13-18)Pub Date: Sept. 3, 2024
ISBN: 9780593527733
Page Count: 448
Publisher: Razorbill/Penguin
Review Posted Online: July 4, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2024
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