Striking an uneven balance between gorgeous realism and banal fantasy, this requires readers tolerant of books with split...
A girl with a rare fatal disease discovers a magical secret about herself.
Aza Ray Boyle, nearly 16, is sentenced to death by a breathing disorder medical science calls Azaray syndrome (though Aza herself thinks it should be called "Clive" or maybe "the Jackass"). Somehow she keeps surviving: hating the hospital, snarking at her teachers, loving her batty family, and completely relying on her anti-social best friend, Jason. When the worst happens, Aza's shocked at how unprepared she really is. She's even less prepared to wake up on an airship, surrounded by blue-skinned sailors and giant bird people who call her Aza Ray Quel. Aza, it seems, is the lost savior of the sky people of Magonia, stolen away and hidden on land. Politicking and conspiracies confuse Aza (and set up a sequel). She really ought to relish being special as she masters her newfound powers of singing and working with a bird familiar (shaky worldbuilding leaves the magical structure somewhat hand-wavy). The painful, sarcastic beauty of Aza's interactions down below in the everyday world begs comparisons to John Green's The Fault in Our Stars (2012), yet passive savior Aza of Magonia is a pale shadow of her nonmagical self.
Striking an uneven balance between gorgeous realism and banal fantasy, this requires readers tolerant of books with split personalities . (Fantasy. 13-15)Pub Date: April 28, 2015
ISBN: 978-0-06-232052-0
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Feb. 2, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2015
Taking up where Libyrinth (2009) left off, the spotlight of this sequel falls on Po and his difficulty adapting to the new culture rising from the life-changing Redemption. Po comes from a female-dominant culture: He’s hostile to men, protective of women and naïve about the motives and manipulations of others. After one transgression too many, he joins a quest searching for an artifact that will restore ecological balance to the deteriorating environment. While its predecessor examined religious/political belief systems, this volume explores differences among the various groups’ gender and sexual mores. Po becomes sexually active and makes dangerous mistakes before changing (quite realistically) his point of view and behavior. Sympathy for Po will carry readers until the excitement and suspense of the quest take over. Themes of abuse of authority, the nature of prejudice and the power of the written word remain from the first book—but with tricky and interesting twists. Background information is skillfully integrated into the plot in this clever, thought-provoking book that has appeal for fans of serious science fiction and fantasy. (Science fiction. 13-15)
Pub Date: Nov. 1, 2010
ISBN: 978-0-7653-2097-1
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Tor
Review Posted Online: Sept. 24, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2010
BOOK REVIEW
This sequel to The Dark Divine (2009) falls into the classic Twilight patterns: a blank slate of a heroine and a reliance on sexual tension and vague presentiments of danger to drive the narrative. Grace Divine is a werewolf now, bitten by her rogue-werewolf brother Jude before he ran off. Her family is falling apart, with her mother increasingly unstable at the loss of a child and her father traveling around the country seeking his lost son. Grace’s only joy is her relationship with her boyfriend Daniel, himself a former werewolf but now disturbingly standoffish. Now Grace is receiving mysterious phone calls that appear to be from her brother and that may be connected to the town’s unsolved rash of vandalism. Though the plot drags, Despain’s fans will be pleased by the introduction of a flannel-clad hottie who is more than ready to comfort Grace during Daniel’s mysterious absences. For those who find a surfeit of rippling muscles and naked pecs to be sufficient for an enjoyable romance. (Paranormal romance. 13-15)
Pub Date: Dec. 28, 2010
ISBN: 978-1-60684-058-0
Page Count: 416
Publisher: Egmont USA
Review Posted Online: Dec. 25, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2010
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