The fourth in the Vamped series carries the gang to the infamous center of all things witchy: Salem, Mass.
Gina Covello, teen vamp and ex-Fed, is on the run with her trusty BFF Marcy and her oh-so gorgeous BF Bobby. They’re on the down-low for now and hoping to stay under the radar long enough to earn some money and decide what to do next. It’s not long before they run into an old friend Ulric, who is only too happy to be a strong shoulder for Gina…or anything else she’d like him to be. Taking jobs as guides on the nightly ghost tours of Salem, Gina and her crew become all too close to a vengeful spirit who is out to murder anyone it can get its hands on. Gina is caught among the ghost, the authorities, the normals, an investigative TV crew and a horrendous Pilgrim outfit (so not to die for!). Things only get worse when Bobby’s body is taken over by the ghost and turns on Gina herself. As always, it’s up to Gina to solve the problem without revealing herself or getting any of her friends staked in the process. Another amusing romp in the series, this installment also sees its hardy heroine beginning to mature, adding further dimension to her character.
Reminiscent of Charlaine Harris’ Sookie Stackhouse and Janet Evanovich’s Stephan Plum, Gina never fails to deliver the goods. (Paranormal comedy. 12 & up)Pub Date: Jan. 8, 2013
ISBN: 978-0-7387-3150-6
Page Count: 288
Publisher: Flux
Review Posted Online: Nov. 7, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2012
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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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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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