Will satisfy readers who appreciate the lore of the world of the Descendants franchise.
This stand-alone prequel in the Descendants series follows citizens of the kingdoms who are “fated to meet a great destiny” as they meet at a school for magic.
New students have gathered at the enchanted but dilapidated castle where Merlin Academy is located, deep within the Forest Sauvage. There’s privileged but washed-up Hook, who recently lost a hand; loving orphaned Ella, who yearns for more than the servitude her stepfamily has forced her into; sea witch Uliana, who’s struggling to control her powers in the face of her sister Ursula’s derision; hopeful Bridget, the future Queen of Hearts; Hades, the leather jacket–clad god of the Underworld; eager, self-taught Morgie, son of Morgana le Fay; and the justifiably intimidating Maleficent. Chosen for their potential, each student has their own agenda and need to prove their worth. Initially divided by magical pranks, the students reluctantly unite when headmaster Merlin goes missing. Hades and Maleficent feel peripheral to the story, and Uliana appears way too powerful to need to attend a magic school, but this work that’s set in the world of the popular franchise extends readers’ perspectives on classic characters and satisfies expectations with its frequent references to Disney films and over-the-top characters’ kooky antics and social foibles. Amid the shifting motivations, the magic is all about the spectacle. Subtle cues to racial diversity seem to follow the movie casting.
Will satisfy readers who appreciate the lore of the world of the Descendants franchise. (Fantasy. 10-14)Pub Date: May 12, 2026
ISBN: 9781368081467
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Disney/Random House
Review Posted Online: July 20, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2026
Rich and strange (and kitted out with an eye-catching cover), but stronger in the set pieces than the internal logic.
Chainani works an elaborate sea change akin to Gregory Maguire’s Wicked (1995), though he leaves the waters muddied.
Every four years, two children, one regarded as particularly nice and the other particularly nasty, are snatched from the village of Gavaldon by the shadowy School Master to attend the divided titular school. Those who survive to graduate become major or minor characters in fairy tales. When it happens to sweet, Disney princess–like Sophie and her friend Agatha, plain of features, sour of disposition and low of self-esteem, they are both horrified to discover that they’ve been dropped not where they expect but at Evil and at Good respectively. Gradually—too gradually, as the author strings out hundreds of pages of Hogwarts-style pranks, classroom mishaps and competitions both academic and romantic—it becomes clear that the placement wasn’t a mistake at all. Growing into their true natures amid revelations and marked physical changes, the two spark escalating rivalry between the wings of the school. This leads up to a vicious climactic fight that sees Good and Evil repeatedly switching sides. At this point, readers are likely to feel suddenly left behind, as, thanks to summary deus ex machina resolutions, everything turns out swell(ish).
Rich and strange (and kitted out with an eye-catching cover), but stronger in the set pieces than the internal logic. (Fantasy. 11-13)Pub Date: May 14, 2013
ISBN: 978-0-06-210489-2
Page Count: 496
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Feb. 12, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2013
BOOK TO SCREEN
Brilliant.
Young heroes rise to the challenge of protecting their home, family, and world when a new villain threatens the Glimouria Archipelago and the Immortal in this third series entry.
“New trouble” comes to the sanctuary of Glimt when Irian Guinne is kidnapped and Teren, the young Immortal, is threatened. Christopher Forrester, former princess Anya, jaculus dragon Jacques, and ratatoska navigator Ratwin undertake a series of herculean tasks to fulfill the kidnappers’ demands and free Irian, all without Nighthand’s knowledge or help. Christopher seeks knowledge from Naravirala the sphinx to understand his new, deeper connection to creatures (“It is the people you love who anchor you”), while Anya leans into her warrior nature (“What if I was born to be brave?”). Meanwhile, bandits with ouroboros bracelets pillage and burn across the Archipelago at the command of Astor Morax, and a fearsome tiger spies through mirrors. The white-presenting leads’ quest to save Irian is central, but brief sections visit Irian, Nighthand, and beautiful, deadly Carla Venasque. The climactic Battle of Glimt features ferocity, cleverness, sacrifice, and bravery, and the ending is more Shakespearean comedy than tragedy—but the danger to Teren is not over, leaving eager readers to await the fourth installment. This is a perfectly paced, mythology-laced tale of action, adventure, and heart that reminds readers that “the only thing stronger than fear is love, unceasingly and exultantly given.” Final art not seen.
Brilliant. (map, bestiary) (Fantasy. 10-14)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2026
ISBN: 9780593809945
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Knopf
Review Posted Online: July 6, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2026
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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