A sweet, genuine fantasy novel about finding family in unlikely situations.
Heroes strive to fulfill a prophecy and defeat an evil warlock in this fantasy debut.
Sister Creda is a sorceress from the Tower of Giefan. While traveling to the Hidden Caves of Abufan for her magical Tests and Completions, she plans to visit Carlida, her sister who lives with a nomadic tribe. On the trail, however, she finds a slain nomad. Using her amulet, she “reads” his blood and learns that raiders attacked Carlida’s tribe and took prisoners. Creda must reach the Tower, in the city of Espri, before dark and before she stumbles on the raiders herself, but her donkey isn’t cooperating. Luckily, a warrior named Fornico (nicknamed “Nico”) approaches and agrees to escort her. At the Tower, the Four Superiors summon the Great Seer for advice on confronting the “ruthless man of magic” who commands the raiders and supposedly drinks his victims’ blood. The Seer says that “No man can defeat this warlock! But there is a One.” Prince Yurmar asks for volunteers to hunt the warlock down. Nico signs up, as do Creda, Superior Veras, and several soldiers, including a young woman named Ferren. From the Witch of the Great East Wood, the group learns that pieces of a talisman must be retrieved to overcome the warlock’s power. But if the One is not a man, who among the heroes can deliver the killing blow? Armstrong-Jones offers a debut fantasy that plays with and subverts the genre’s tropes while never trying to break the mold of heartwarming fantasy classics such as The Hobbit. She wryly portrays Nico, who represents decades of Conan-style heroes, as a “blasted, arrogant man” who’s never wrong. Creda, who’s ostensibly the protagonist, cares little about possibly being the One. She instead develops her power to psychically commune with animals, which brings Baru, a wolf, into the group. Although the prose is suitable for teenagers, much of the action is interior—such as Creda’s and Veras’ energy exchanges—and younger audiences may be rooting for an ending with “Prince Yurmar himself kissing [the One’s] hand in gratitude.” Armstrong-Jones delivers a finale that’s pleasantly unexpected, and the fantastic last line blows readers a final kiss.
A sweet, genuine fantasy novel about finding family in unlikely situations.Pub Date: Oct. 31, 2019
ISBN: 978-0-228-82173-1
Page Count: 236
Publisher: Tellwell Talent
Review Posted Online: May 11, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2020
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Although the melodrama sometimes is a bit much, the superb worldbuilding and intricate plotline make this a must-read.
Using mystery and romance elements in a nonlinear narrative, SenLinYu’s debut is a doorstopper of a fantasy that follows a woman with missing memories as she navigates through a war-torn realm in search of herself.
Helena Marino is a talented young healer living in Paladia—the “Shining City”—who has been thrust into a brutal war against an all-powerful necromancer and his army of Undying, loyal henchmen with immortal bodies, and necrothralls, reanimated automatons. When Helena is awakened from stasis, a prisoner of the necromancer’s forces, she has no idea how long she has been incarcerated—or the status of the war. She soon finds herself a personal prisoner of Kaine Ferron, the High Necromancer’s “monster” psychopath who has sadistically killed hundreds for his master. Ordered to recover Helena’s buried memories by any means necessary, the two polar opposites—Helena and Kaine, healer and killer—end up discovering much more as they begin to understand each other through shared trauma. While necromancy is an oft-trod subject in fantasy novels, the author gives it a fresh feel—in large part because of their superb worldbuilding coupled with unforgettable imagery throughout: “[The necromancer] lay reclined upon a throne of bodies. Necrothralls, contorted and twisted together, their limbs transmuted and fused into a chair, moving in synchrony, rising and falling as they breathed in tandem, squeezing and releasing around him…[He] extended his decrepit right hand, overlarge with fingers jointed like spider legs.” Another noteworthy element is the complex dynamic between Helena and Kaine. To say that these two characters shared the gamut of intense emotions would be a vast understatement. Readers will come for the fantasy and stay for the romance.
Although the melodrama sometimes is a bit much, the superb worldbuilding and intricate plotline make this a must-read.Pub Date: Sept. 23, 2025
ISBN: 9780593972700
Page Count: 1040
Publisher: Del Rey
Review Posted Online: July 17, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2025
An engrossing, action-packed sequel with a compelling cast.
A woman must undergo fearsome trials to free the imprisoned Titans of Greek myth in Owen’s fantasy novel, the second in a series.
Advancing from minor office clerk in the Order of Thieves to Queen of the Underworld, Lyra Keres’ star should be rising. But thanks to Cronos, King of the Titans, she and her longtime friend and fellow thief Boone have been ensnared in a new challenge beneath the earth: Hot on the heels of winning the twisted Crucible Games, Lyra—who has recently been granted goddess powers—finds herself trapped in Tartarus. Separated from her beloved Hades, she must liberate the fearsome Titans from seven Locks to restore the cosmic balance. As Lyra progresses through the Locks engineered by the Gods—each as tricky and lethal as the last—the pressure mounts as the Titans repeatedly remind her, “You will be our savior.” Rhea, the wife of Cronos, reveals that Lyra began this quest “a hundred and fifty years ago,” adding further devastation to the task at hand; the knowledge is helpful, but also painful, as Lyra reflects, “Suddenly, I don’t want to know that it’s real. Because then I have to contemplate how many times I might have ended up in Tartarus already.” As she materializes in and out of time pockets, Lyra sees Hades’ troubled childhood unfold and struggles not to intervene to save the man she loves. In this second entry in the author’s Crucible series, following The Games Gods Play (2024), Lyra’s cynical quips continue to make her an engaging protagonist. Her inner monologues are balanced with hope, love, and longing for Hades as she meets various versions of him. While resilient, Owen’s heroine is also vulnerable (“Was I his pawn in more ways than I ever realized?”). Her introspection effectively contrasts with the simmering rage and restraint in Hades’ chapters. The supporting Titans are given more depth than the traditional myths allow, weaving a knotty family fabric for the reader to navigate alongside Lyra.
An engrossing, action-packed sequel with a compelling cast.Pub Date: Oct. 21, 2025
ISBN: 9781649378538
Page Count: 500
Publisher: Entangled: Red Tower Books
Review Posted Online: Sept. 9, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2025
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
© Copyright 2025 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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