A romantic fantasy that’s dark, genuine, and joyous, by turns.
In this fantasy novel, a young man struggling to find his place in the world meets a Forest Pixie who draws him into a perilous adventure.
Twenty-two-year-old human Amer has just been fired from his bartending job. Worse, he’ll be evicted from his apartment in days because the rent is overdue. This inspires him to run an errand for his friend Nurri, who operates a neighborhood food stand. He agrees to gather rainbow root, for which wealthy people pay handsomely, from the valley, and Nurri agrees to cut him in on the proceeds. Her map leads him through the Forest to perform his task. Meanwhile, wicked King Malo has been doing his best to ruin the Forest since taking the throne six years ago. He’s imprisoned his brother and rightful ruler, Ben, and must now eliminate Fillii, a Forest Pixie who has the potential to stop him. Fillii has been granted the “Protection of the Spell” by the maiden who wished her into being, which keeps the king from killing her; Malo aims to evict her from her tree and strip away her enchantment. The foxes Ren and Truuk tell Fillii to search the valley for “something” that will allow her to defeat Malo. Instead, Fillii finds Amer, a talkative human whom she refuses to trust. Human reason always results in disenchantment, yet Fillii is surprised to see that the Forest deems Amer worthy and thinks that perhaps he can help. Calleja writes with immense humor and heart, placing her novel in the company of classics such as Peter S. Beagle’s The Last Unicorn (1968). Her characters playfully wink at readers, as when Amer notes that he’s “sitting inside a tree” with elves and a Pixie who’s “apparently going to start a revolution,” and Fillii replies, “The Forest has a weird sense of humour sometimes.” The evil Malo never shies from murdering woodland creatures, as when he coldly destroys a giant Guio bird’s eggs. But Calleja highlights beauty, as well, as in the line, “It was as if diamonds of dew hung suspended in the air all around them.” Fillii’s complicated past with another human, Casz, creates tension with Amer, who’s more like her than either realizes. A warm, cozy finale will leave readers hoping for further tales.
A romantic fantasy that’s dark, genuine, and joyous, by turns.Pub Date: N/A
ISBN: N/A
Page Count: 224
Publisher: FriesenPress
Review Posted Online: Aug. 10, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2020
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
A fast and fun outing in an immersive alternate world.
Following The Left-Handed Booksellers of London (2020), a rescue mission lands Susan on an entity’s radar.
Susan (art student, demi-mortal) and her boyfriend, Merlin, (gender shifting and nonconforming fashionista and left-handed bookseller) are still together but taking it slowly, especially because Susan’s not comfortable with the proximity to the supernatural Old World that Merlin represents (especially because her own Ancient Sovereign father is going to be waking at the New Year). But when contact with an ensorcelled map pulls Merlin into a pocket dimension out of time, Susan doesn’t hesitate to use her heritage and artistic ability to make a translocation map to get him back safely. Their dangerous jaunt reveals the existence of a supernatural serial killer—and draws its attention to Susan. While the booksellers unravel a pattern of murders going back decades, Susan tries to avoid being the next sacrifice while grappling with fears of losing herself to the Old World and being changed into something else. And the dreams she’s having of her father’s demesne, dreams that might be more than dreams, leave her convinced that a big change is coming. All plotlines are time-sensitive enough to put the dead in deadline, keeping tension high as they face a variety of threats. While Susan’s internal conflict gets repetitive, it pays off in the climax. The leads are White; the secondary cast’s racially diverse.
A fast and fun outing in an immersive alternate world. (Fantasy. 12-adult)Pub Date: March 21, 2023
ISBN: 978-0-06-323633-2
Page Count: 368
Publisher: Katherine Tegen/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Dec. 23, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2023
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A multilayered exploration of the complacent as complicit, all within a unique yet relatable magic system.
An orphaned prince on the run gets a chance at freedom if he can become one of his would-be enslavers.
Three years ago, when the Hierarchy killed his family, 17-year-old Vis Solum had to hide in their Republic, bury his rage, and pretend to support the population’s enslavement in order to survive. The Hierarchy is built on Will—a person’s mental and physical energy—ceded by the low to those above them, and then again, all the way to the top of the three pyramids of leadership: Military, Governance, and Religion. Will powers carts and carriages, keeps vaults locked, and gives Will-users inhuman abilities while sapping ceders of their health and life span. So far, Vis has managed to refuse the ritual to cede his Will. Now, he has little more than a year before he legally has to cede or have his Will drained by Sappers. When Senator Quintus Ulciscor Telimus offers Vis the chance to escape ceding for at least another year, and perhaps never do it at all, Vis agrees. The man officially adopts him so he can attend the Catenan Academy, where all students are tested and prepared for the highest Hierarchy positions. If Vis dominates at the Academy, he can choose a position where he doesn’t need to cede or receive Will at all, far away from the Hierarchy. In return, Vis must act as a spy to prove Religion is unearthing a dangerous weapon. Then, when Vis is blackmailed to act as a double agent, everything changes. In order to succeed, he must become one of those he so hates while keeping his true identity a secret. If he doesn’t, he’ll end up dead, or worse. This Roman-inspired fantasy starts slow but more than makes up for it soon enough. With the inevitable comparisons in mind, fans of Pierce Brown's Red Rising will enjoy this book, but it’s darker, deeper, and takes unexpected paths worth traveling. Trust that the author will get you there in the end.
A multilayered exploration of the complacent as complicit, all within a unique yet relatable magic system.Pub Date: May 23, 2023
ISBN: 9781982141172
Page Count: 688
Publisher: Saga/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: March 27, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2023
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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