An often-exhilarating adventure tale enlivened by battles, suspense, and diabolical villains.
A ragtag group braves a perilous land to find and deliver a valuable stone in Daniels’ YA fantasy novel, which kicks off a prospective trilogy.
After escaping the Field of Flame, a 15-year-old enslaved boy named Bastien runs into an “outfit” of Hunters comprised of three marauder brothers and father-and-son “pyromancers,” led by Landan o’Carreau. They invite Bastien to join them on their quest through the land of Valaan for a Lord Stone. After they find it, they travel north to get to the port town of Seasgain, where a buyer will pay a veritable fortune for it. Sadly, dissension seeps into the hunting party, as some want to sell the stone elsewhere. Then, one morning, Bastien wakes up with the pebble clenched in his hand, and he has no idea how it got there. He frets over covertly returning it to Landan’s chest, where it was originally kept. However, a sudden confrontation ends up splitting up the group up, sending them in shocking directions. Daniels eases readers into a story that’s already underway. Characters are introduced organically, with personality traits gradually coming to light, such as “yellowgut” marauder Symon Cadderall’s cowardly tendencies. The tension-filled narrative pits Bastien and company against Red Wardens from the Field of Flame, a cannibalistic megalomaniac, and other unnerving creatures who are responsible for a fair amount of violence and death. All the while, the author delivers vivid prose that effectively sets scenes: “In the front of the church grounds there once stood a statue of the Mother Aegatta atop a pedestal but it was shattered now. There remained only the white stone feet and legs of the fallen goddess, cut down at the waist and overgrown with creeping snakevine.” Unexpected plot turns ultimately put Bastien on a path that could lead him into darkness, giving readers plenty of incentive to watch out for sequels.
An often-exhilarating adventure tale enlivened by battles, suspense, and diabolical villains.Pub Date: Aug. 22, 2024
ISBN: 9798336031577
Page Count: 346
Publisher: Self
Review Posted Online: Nov. 20, 2024
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
A lackluster and sometimes disturbing mishmash of overused tropes.
The Plague has left a population divided between Elites and Ordinaries—those who have powers and those who don’t; now, an Ordinary teen fights for her life.
Paedyn Gray witnessed the king kill her father five years ago, and she’s been thieving and sleeping rough ever since, all while faking Psychic abilities. When she inadvertently saves the life of Prince Kai, she becomes embroiled in the Purging Trials, a competition to commemorate the sickness that killed most of the kingdom’s Ordinaries. Kai’s duties as the future Enforcer include eradicating any remaining Ordinaries, and these Trials are his chance to prove that he’s internalized his brutal training. But Kai can’t help but find Pae’s blue eyes, silver hair, and unabashed attitude enchanting. She likewise struggles to resist his stormy gray eyes, dark hair, and rakish behavior, even as they’re pitted against each other in the Trials and by the king himself. Scenes and concepts that are strongly reminiscent of the Hunger Games fall flat: They aren’t bolstered by the original’s heart or worldbuilding logic that would have justified a few extreme story elements. Illogical leaps and inconsistent characterizations abound, with lighthearted romantic interludes juxtaposed against genocide, child abuse, and sadism. These elements, which are not sufficiently addressed, combined with the use of ableist language, cannot be erased by any amount of romantic banter. Main characters are cued white; the supporting cast has some brown-skinned characters.
A lackluster and sometimes disturbing mishmash of overused tropes. (map) (Fantasy. 14-18)Pub Date: Nov. 7, 2023
ISBN: 9798987380406
Page Count: 538
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Sept. 9, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2023
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
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
© Copyright 2025 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
