The young hero of this charming, series-starting tale of magic will easily win readers over.
A newly orphaned girl struggles at a prestigious academy for the magically gifted in Robertson’s middle-grade fantasy debut.
Ariana Seaborne’s 13th birthday means that, like nearly everyone in the kingdom of Thalias, her Talent (magical ability) will show itself. However, just before her ceremony, she tragically loses her parents and her home in an unexplained fire. As people in Ari’s village dub her a “demon” for merely surviving the inferno, a kindhearted Captain of the King’s Guard takes her to Promisero Academy in the kingdom’s capital. Part of her deal in earning admittance involves becoming a Queen’s Lady, so she attends classes on magic, academics, and combat at the school, as well as private classes on royal etiquette and politics. She makes several trustworthy friends, including Prince Kaelen Trebellan, but she also must endure the fact that some students, and even some adults, are spreading a rumor that she caused the fatal incident in her village. However, Ari’s biggest obstacle is an inexplicable “block” on her Talent, which could spell the end of her time at Promisero. Robertson’s novel, which opens a prospective series, spotlights a wholly sympathetic protagonist who deals with bullies at school and blames herself for her parents’ deaths. Much of what unfolds is shown to be a learning experience for her; she’s a “commoner” who’s perpetually surrounded by people of wealth and privilege, and not just at the royal palace. At the same time, she gathers wonderful allies, including more than one whose loyalty never falters. Several of the author’s most vibrant passages linger on the landscape, with its “rolling foothills,” calm ocean waters, and a “mercurial spring sky.” As a result, it’s not until the final act that the story really gets going. Still, this first installment effectively leans into its genre elements, from compelling creatures (such as sprixies and fluffy, griffinlike gyrefells) to displays of magic as students take classes in all five of the known Talents, including fire and water.
The young hero of this charming, series-starting tale of magic will easily win readers over.Pub Date: Sept. 27, 2024
ISBN: 9781038308245
Page Count: 384
Publisher: FriesenPress
Review Posted Online: Dec. 5, 2024
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
A jam-packed opener sure to satisfy lovers of the princess genre.
Ice princess Lina must navigate family and school in this early chapter read.
The family picnic is today. This is not a typical gathering, since Lina’s maternal relatives are a royal family of Windtamers who have power over the weather and live in castles floating on clouds. Lina herself is mixed race, with black hair and a tan complexion like her Asian-presenting mother’s; her Groundling father appears to be a white human. While making a grand entrance at the castle of her grandfather, the North Wind, she fails to successfully ride a gust of wind and crashes in front of her entire family. This prompts her stern grandfather to ask that Lina move in with him so he can teach her to control her powers. Desperate to avoid this, Lina and her friend Claudia, who is black, get Lina accepted at the Hilltop Science and Arts Academy. Lina’s parents allow her to go as long as she does lessons with grandpa on Saturdays. However, fitting in at a Groundling school is rough, especially when your powers start freak winter storms! With the story unfurling in diary format, bright-pink–highlighted grayscale illustrations help move the plot along. There are slight gaps in the storytelling and the pacing is occasionally uneven, but Lina is full of spunk and promotes self-acceptance.
A jam-packed opener sure to satisfy lovers of the princess genre. (Fantasy. 5-8)Pub Date: June 25, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-338-35393-8
Page Count: 128
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: March 26, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2019
A sweet, if oft-told, story.
A plush toy rabbit bonds with a boy and watches him grow into adulthood.
The boy receives the blue bunny for his birthday and immediately becomes attached to it. Unbeknownst to him, the ungendered bunny is sentient; it engages in dialogue with fellow toys, giving readers insight into its thoughts. The bunny's goal is to have grand adventures when the boy grows up and no longer needs its company. The boy spends many years playing imaginatively with the bunny, holding it close during both joyous and sorrowful times and taking it along on family trips. As a young man, he marries, starts a family, and hands over the beloved toy to his toddler-aged child in a crib. The bunny's epiphany—that he does not need to wait for great adventures since all his dreams have already come true in the boy's company—is explicitly stated in the lengthy text, which is in many ways similar to The Velveteen Rabbit (1922). The illustrations, which look hand-painted but were digitally created, are moderately sentimental with an impressionistic dreaminess (one illustration even includes a bunny-shaped cloud in the sky) and a warm glow throughout. The depiction of a teenage male openly displaying his emotions—hugging his beloved childhood toy for example—is refreshing. All human characters present as White expect for one of the boy’s friends who is Black.
A sweet, if oft-told, story. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: Feb. 1, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-72825-448-7
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Sourcebooks Wonderland
Review Posted Online: Jan. 11, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2022
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