by Marjory Kaptanoglu ‧ RELEASE DATE: July 24, 2020
An exciting, inventive finale.
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In the conclusion to Kaptanoglu’s YA fantasy trilogy, conjurer Tessa Skye must defeat a diabolical, seemingly immortal ruler.
Tessa is searching for the boy she loves, Ash Kemp, who has inexplicably vanished. Some of the enemies the two have faced are dead, but others, like Tessa’s evil half sister, Ratcher, continue to be a threat. The greatest menace to Wilderyn, however, is King Slayert, a powerful conjurer leading a cursed army. Apparently, Slayert possesses the Kingshackle, a gold band that renders him invincible. But anyone who completes “the King’s Challenge” can take the Kingshackle from him. Tessa gets news that Ash, who’d fought during Slayert’s assault against the city of Blackgrove, is now the wicked king’s captive. She hopes to save Ash by traveling to Slayert’s fortress, which is also where one can undertake the King’s Challenge. Tessa fortunately has her windrider, an amulet that turns her into a sparrow. But she strives to find her “bloodbeast” (an animal she can change into at will) to battle Slayert’s—reputedly a dragon. Kaptanoglu’s masterful pacing makes her novel a quick read. The story takes readers through a bevy of betrayals, startling deaths, and exhilarating action, with striking villains, like boarmen and Snakeskins. While the young heroine is the series’ highlight, there are myriad characters who make an impression. Blackgrove’s Queen Sage, for example, is strong but perpetually drunk, and her brother, Lord Queshire, who sometimes refers to himself in the third person, wants to surrender immediately to Slayert’s army. Though the ending provides the trilogy with a resolution, a few characters’ fates remain in question. As such, Kaptanoglu could easily return to her sublime world—and hopefully will.
An exciting, inventive finale. (acknowledgements, about the author)Pub Date: July 24, 2020
ISBN: 978-0-9994492-6-4
Page Count: 248
Publisher: Marjory Kaptanoglu
Review Posted Online: Sept. 8, 2020
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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by Daniel Aleman ‧ RELEASE DATE: May 4, 2021
An ode to the children of migrants who have been taken away.
A Mexican American boy takes on heavy responsibilities when his family is torn apart.
Mateo’s life is turned upside down the day U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents show up unsuccessfully seeking his Pa at his New York City bodega. The Garcias live in fear until the day both parents are picked up; his Pa is taken to jail and his Ma to a detention center. The adults around Mateo offer support to him and his 7-year-old sister, Sophie, however, he knows he is now responsible for caring for her and the bodega as well as trying to survive junior year—that is, if he wants to fulfill his dream to enter the drama program at the Tisch School of the Arts and become an actor. Mateo’s relationships with his friends Kimmie and Adam (a potential love interest) also suffer repercussions as he keeps his situation a secret. Kimmie is half Korean (her other half is unspecified) and Adam is Italian American; Mateo feels disconnected from them, less American, and with worries they can’t understand. He talks himself out of choosing a safer course of action, a decision that deepens the story. Mateo’s self-awareness and inner monologue at times make him seem older than 16, and, with significant turmoil in the main plot, some side elements feel underdeveloped. Aleman’s narrative joins the ranks of heart-wrenching stories of migrant families who have been separated.
An ode to the children of migrants who have been taken away. (Fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: May 4, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-7595-5605-8
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: Feb. 22, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2021
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by Rebecca Ross ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 4, 2023
Ideal for readers seeking perspectives on war, with a heavy dash of romance and touch of fantasy.
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New York Times Bestseller
A war between gods plays havoc with mortals and their everyday lives.
In a time of typewriters and steam engines, Iris Winnow awaits word from her older brother, who has enlisted on the side of Enva the Skyward goddess. Alcohol abuse led to her mother’s losing her job, and Iris has dropped out of school and found work utilizing her writing skills at the Oath Gazette. Hiding the stress of her home issues behind a brave face, Iris competes for valuable assignments that may one day earn her the coveted columnist position. Her rival for the job is handsome and wealthy Roman Kitt, whose prose entrances her so much she avoids reading his articles. At home, she writes cathartic letters to her brother, never posting them but instead placing them in her wardrobe, where they vanish overnight. One day Iris receives a reply, which, along with other events, pushes her to make dramatic life decisions. Magic plays a quiet role in this story, and readers may for a time forget there is anything supernatural going on. This is more of a wartime tale of broken families, inspired youths, and higher powers using people as pawns. It flirts with clichéd tropes but also takes some startling turns. Main characters are assumed White; same-sex marriages and gender equality at the warfront appear to be the norm in this world.
Ideal for readers seeking perspectives on war, with a heavy dash of romance and touch of fantasy. (Fantasy. 14-18)Pub Date: April 4, 2023
ISBN: 978-1-250-85743-9
Page Count: 368
Publisher: Wednesday Books
Review Posted Online: Jan. 11, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2023
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