The cards predict a larger audience of romance than fantasy fans.
Imprisoned in a tower, a wizard’s daughter weaves magical pictorial tapestries.
When the mere sight of the four wall hangings that pale, 16-year-old Anna has woven for the suspicious, controlling Hierophant King—who has kept her in a tower room since birth—results in a death warrant, she cuts out selected swatches and, with help from her friends the Fool, the Magician, and the Hermit, flees over a magical bridge. She finds herself in Cups, a colony of young, beautiful, olive-skinned lotus eaters. There, she connects with hunky James, and the tale drifts into a romantic round of beach parties, swimming lessons, snogging, relationship chess, stylized dialogue, and, ultimately, a shared (if, from all evidence, chaste) bed. Cued by sudden tempests and other signs, she eventually comes to realize that, one, she has herself created these lands and peoples with her weaving and, two, the Hierophant King will be coming after her. Using tarot more as a gimmick than a driver of events, Kennerson (The Family, 2014) seems so taken with the (far from original) notion of basing her settings and cast on suits and cards that she neglects to give anyone, even Anna, a distinctive voice or personality. She also devotes more energy to the mildly steamy “tropical island romance” subplot than the larger conflict—which she summarily and abruptly resolves.
The cards predict a larger audience of romance than fantasy fans. (Romantic fantasy. 14-17)Pub Date: Feb. 19, 2019
ISBN: 978-0-451-47841-2
Page Count: 288
Publisher: Razorbill/Penguin
Review Posted Online: Nov. 6, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2018
Several yards short of a touchdown.
A transgender boy starting over at a new school falls hard for a popular cheerleader with a reputation to protect in this debut.
On the first day of senior year, transgender boy Pony locks eyes with cisgender cheerleader Georgia. They both have pasts they want to leave behind. No one at Hillcrest High knows that Pony is transgender, and he intends to keep it that way. Georgia’s last boyfriend shook her trust in boys, and now she’s determined to forget him. As mutual attraction draws them together, Pony and Georgia must decide what they are willing to risk for a relationship. Pony’s best friend, Max, who is also transgender, disapproves of Pony’s choice to live stealth; this disagreement leads to serious conflict in their relationship. Meanwhile, Georgia and Pony behave as if Pony’s trans identity was a secret he was lying to her about rather than private information for him to share of his own volition. The characters only arrive at a hopeful resolution after Pony pays high physical and emotional prices. McSmith places repeated emphasis on the born-in-the-wrong-body narrative when the characters discuss trans identities. Whiteness is situated as the norm, and all main characters are white.
Several yards short of a touchdown. (Fiction. 14-17)Pub Date: May 26, 2020
ISBN: 978-0-06-294317-0
Page Count: 368
Publisher: HarperTeen
Review Posted Online: Feb. 8, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2020
BOOK REVIEW
A fresh and compelling voice.
A second chance prompts a deadly game of wits.
Lu Mingshin is about to be executed. Her fiance, Prince Ren, has ordered her death after using her family’s wealth to vie for the position of crown prince from his half brothers, each of them born to one of the widower king’s Royal Ladies. If that wasn’t enough, Mingshin learns that her Uncle Yi arranged her mother’s murder, and Aylin, her two-faced noblewoman cousin, will be marrying Ren instead. On the verge of death, Mingshin desperately wishes for another chance—only to see flashes of light and wake up two years in the past. With her memories of the future intact, Mingshin intends to not become a victim again, training in combat and vowing to endear herself to King Reifeng to secure her family’s safety. Strange dreams reveal the source of the magic that allowed her to jump back in time. A powerful mage is also on Mingshin’s tail, along with the ruthless enemies she’s already aware of. As Mingshin starts to rewrite her life’s story, new individuals come into play: a visiting Elder with questionable motives; Princess Yunle, who becomes a new best friend; and Prince Jieh, one of Ren’s rivals for the throne. Set in a fantasy world reminiscent of imperial China, this debut novel’s structure has a few oddities, but the clever premise and intriguing and suspenseful plot will keep readers engaged.
A fresh and compelling voice. (Fantasy. 14-17)Pub Date: Oct. 17, 2023
ISBN: 9781454949923
Page Count: 344
Publisher: Union Square & Co.
Review Posted Online: Aug. 11, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2023
BOOK REVIEW
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