Could be the start of a fantastic series if, along with a few improvements, the characters and world remain this solid.
In Lewis-Lerman’s debut YA fantasy, magical adventures begin for a young girl when her friend grows terribly ill and she becomes determined to save her.
Livi Dixon is worried for her best friend Violet’s life. Recently, she has been growing sicker, and Livi suspects that Mathilda Battlebee—the very woman who has been trying to save her—might be responsible. After all, rumors have abounded for years that Mathilda is a witch and a spy, but Livi soon learns that appearances can be deceiving. Meanwhile, many other strange things have been happening, such as people disappearing with no explanation. Amid all of this, Livi sets off on a quest to an area of the nation called the Midlands, whose people might be able to help cure Violet. The primary strength of Lewis-Lerman’s novel is the richly detailed world in which it’s set—not an archaic, medieval world or a modern-day one, but somewhere in between. Reminiscent of the work of Diana Wynne Jones, the novel interweaves its universe with a clever sense of whimsy that marries magic and fairy tale with modern sensibilities. Livi is a strong, empathetic protagonist whose hero’s journey unfolds in a decidedly untraditional manner, particularly when she discovers a power she never knew she possessed. Other than that, the novel suffers from some pacing and plotting issues, with various threads threatening to pull the story in too many different directions. At the same time, however, it’s a testament to Lewis-Lerman’s rich imagination and eloquent prose that more often than not, her novel delights enough to smooth over these distractions.
Could be the start of a fantastic series if, along with a few improvements, the characters and world remain this solid.Pub Date: Jan. 29, 2015
ISBN: 978-0986342363
Page Count: 224
Publisher: Opta Ardua
Review Posted Online: Feb. 17, 2015
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Lush, gorgeous, precise language and propulsive plotting sweep readers into a story as intelligent as it is atmospheric.
In 16th-century Madrid, a crypto-Jew with a talent for casting spells tries to steer clear of the Inquisition.
Luzia Cotado, a scullion and an orphan, has secrets to keep: “It was a game she and her mother had played, saying one thing and thinking another, the bits and pieces of Hebrew handed down like chipped plates.” Also handed down are “refranes”—proverbs—in “not quite Spanish, just as Luzia was not quite Spanish.” When Luzia sings the refranes, they take on power. “Aboltar cazal, aboltar mazal” (“A change of scene, a change of fortune”) can mend a torn gown or turn burnt bread into a perfect loaf; “Quien no risica, no rosica” (“Whoever doesn’t laugh, doesn’t bloom”) can summon a riot of foliage in the depths of winter. The Inquisition hangs over the story like Chekhov’s famous gun on the wall. When Luzia’s employer catches her using magic, the ambitions of both mistress and servant catapult her into fame and danger. A new, even more ambitious patron instructs his supernatural servant, Guillén Santángel, to train Luzia for a magical contest. Santángel, not Luzia, is the familiar of the title; he has been tricked into trading his freedom and luck to his master’s family in exchange for something he no longer craves but can’t give up. The novel comes up against an issue common in fantasy fiction: Why don’t the characters just use their magic to solve all their problems? Bardugo has clearly given it some thought, but her solutions aren’t quite convincing, especially toward the end of the book. These small faults would be harder to forgive if she weren’t such a beautiful writer. Part fairy tale, part political thriller, part romance, the novel unfolds like a winter tree bursting into unnatural bloom in response to one of Luzia’s refranes, as she and Santángel learn about power, trust, betrayal, and love.
Lush, gorgeous, precise language and propulsive plotting sweep readers into a story as intelligent as it is atmospheric.Pub Date: April 9, 2024
ISBN: 9781250884251
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Flatiron Books
Review Posted Online: Feb. 3, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2024
Read this for the action-packed plot, not character development or worldbuilding.
On the orders of her mother, a woman goes to dragon-riding school.
Even though her mother is a general in Navarre’s army, 20-year-old Violet Sorrengail was raised by her father to follow his path as a scribe. After his death, though, Violet's mother shocks her by forcing her to enter the elite and deadly dragon rider academy at Basgiath War College. Most students die at the War College: during training sessions, at the hands of their classmates, or by the very dragons they hope to one day be paired with. From Day One, Violet is targeted by her classmates, some because they hate her mother, others because they think she’s too physically frail to succeed. She must survive a daily gauntlet of physical challenges and the deadly attacks of classmates, which she does with the help of secret knowledge handed down by her two older siblings, who'd been students there before her. Violet is at the mercy of the plot rather than being in charge of it, hurtling through one obstacle after another. As a result, the story is action-packed and fast-paced, but Violet is a strange mix of pure competence and total passivity, always managing to come out on the winning side. The book is categorized as romantasy, with Violet pulled between the comforting love she feels from her childhood best friend, Dain Aetos, and the incendiary attraction she feels for family enemy Xaden Riorson. However, the way Dain constantly undermines Violet's abilities and his lack of character development make this an unconvincing storyline. The plots and subplots aren’t well-integrated, with the first half purely focused on Violet’s training, followed by a brief detour for romance, and then a final focus on outside threats.
Read this for the action-packed plot, not character development or worldbuilding.Pub Date: May 2, 2023
ISBN: 9781649374042
Page Count: 528
Publisher: Red Tower
Review Posted Online: Jan. 12, 2024
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