Another wholly absorbing installment in this ongoing magic-laden series.
A man linked to cryptic prophecies embarks on a harrowing quest in Warden’s fantasy sequel.
Was it fate that Gideon Dawning, formerly of Texas, wound up in the otherworldly Inherited Lands? Some believe he’ll be the deciding factor in the inevitable war between two Languages of Power, the Dei’lo and the much darker Sa’lei. He may even be the Waymaker, whom the prophecies name but whose ultimate purpose they don’t clarify. For now, Gideon has sided with those who champion Dei’lo, the power of life and creation. He’s on a quest with allies Aybel Boldrun and Revel Foundling to find the mysterious Pearl, a sentient orb that may have the power to avert the war, though he has trouble choosing which direction they should head. The ruling Council of Lords is dead set on thwarting this quest, which the Sa’lei-speaking Lord Stevron Achelli could easily handle by taking out the Waymaker. But when High Lord Balaam Asher-Baal specifically gives orders not to kill Gideon, Stevron instead shadows and observes him and the others. Still, if Stevron decides that Balaam’s “peculiarities” are affecting his judgment, then Stevron’s approach to his appointed task will surely turn lethal. Over in the land of Wordhaven, the recently recovered Book of Dei’lo, which unlocks the “teachings of the Pearl,” can strengthen all those who study it; now the group that’s been rebelling against the Council will be able to form an army. All the while, the hunt for the Pearl continues—Stevron isn’t the only threat as Gideon, Aybel, and Revel face off against various creatures and desperately search for a means of escape when they end up captives.
Warden’s story picks up right after the events of Gideon’s Dawn (2008), dropping readers into the action and well-rooted dilemmas. The spotlight shifts among members of the enthralling cast, most notably highlighting Stevron, who’s secretly become more adept in Sa’leit han his mentor Balaam, and Ajel Windrunner, who bravely steps into his new role as the rebels’ leader. Memorable scenes abound; the quest leads to Silence Sound, an area that’s entirely devoid of sound (which has its perks, since there’s no worry of enemies attacking with Word), as well as a fetid marsh that makes the journey “excruciatingly slow.” As in the preceding novel, much of what unfolds, especially in relation to the prophecies, is steeped in mystery. Gideon has no choice but to rely on pure instinct as he leads the quest. (“How am I supposed to know which way we should go, Telus?”) The author packs details into the narrative while skillfully keeping the steady influx of characters, places, and motivations clear and organized. Warden makes room for bountiful descriptions of the magical Inherited Lands: “Before him, a dark narrow corridor of weathered stone, damp and crumbling, faded into the shadows toward the east. Above him sprawled a massive stronghold, ancient and lifeless, that clung to the southern end of an island in the Eastern Sea.” Copious amounts of “Worded power” are on display throughout the novel, and the final act more than hints at where the sequels will go.
Another wholly absorbing installment in this ongoing magic-laden series.Pub Date: July 1, 2008
ISBN: 9798985266436
Page Count: 384
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: May 22, 2026
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
Sharp writing, vivid characters, and puzzle box plotting bring the trilogy to a ringing conclusion.
A dark fantasy set on the Yale campus ends with a bang.
Galaxy “Alex” Stern of Lethe House, one of Yale’s storied secret societies, has been to hell and back. That was in Hell Bent (2023), the middle book in Bardugo’s Ninth House trilogy, where the secret societies wield not just temporal power but magic as well. Hell Bent ended with Alex and her friends rescuing her crush, mentor, and fellow Lethe officer, Daniel “Darlington” Arlington V, from eternal torment. One small wrinkle: The demon Golgarot used Alex’s blood to wedge a door open between Hell and New Haven, and his minions are slipping through. Also, one of the group has turned into a vampire, and Darlington is now half demon. “He’d given up some part of himself to preserve the rest of his human soul. He’d become both prisoner and warden.” As the final book opens, the exhausted crew are hunting yet another monster. They can’t keep this up forever; they will have to find a way to close the portal. Alex has the energetic, driven melancholy of the hard-boiled, dark fantasy heroine she is. She believes “magic is real, but safe is make-believe,” as her roommate puts it. An open hellmouth, a supportive scholar, a vampire whose story arcs precariously toward redemption, a gentleman fiend who gets literally horny when aroused, a California girl with rare supernatural powers who cracks wise as she fights fiends—the series has a lot in common with Buffy the Vampire Slayer and its spawn, but Bardugo’s way with words and her keen social observation keep the book from feeling derivative. A demon’s classic New England house is decorated with “ruthlessly inoffensive watercolor seascapes”; Lethe’s board president “wore the new uniform of Wall Street: a dress shirt, khakis, and a fleece with a Yale Y embroidered over the heart, as if he were on his way to a hostile takeover followed by some light rock climbing.” Will Alex and her friends get the door shut without losing Darlington? Bardugo injects her protagonist with such a convincing mix of cynicism and hope that failure seems like a distinct possibility.
Sharp writing, vivid characters, and puzzle box plotting bring the trilogy to a ringing conclusion.Pub Date: Sept. 15, 2026
ISBN: 9781250884312
Page Count: 496
Publisher: Flatiron Books
Review Posted Online: Sept. 15, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2026
Read this for the action-packed plot, not character development or worldbuilding.
On the orders of her mother, a woman goes to dragon-riding school.
Even though her mother is a general in Navarre’s army, 20-year-old Violet Sorrengail was raised by her father to follow his path as a scribe. After his death, though, Violet's mother shocks her by forcing her to enter the elite and deadly dragon rider academy at Basgiath War College. Most students die at the War College: during training sessions, at the hands of their classmates, or by the very dragons they hope to one day be paired with. From Day One, Violet is targeted by her classmates, some because they hate her mother, others because they think she’s too physically frail to succeed. She must survive a daily gauntlet of physical challenges and the deadly attacks of classmates, which she does with the help of secret knowledge handed down by her two older siblings, who'd been students there before her. Violet is at the mercy of the plot rather than being in charge of it, hurtling through one obstacle after another. As a result, the story is action-packed and fast-paced, but Violet is a strange mix of pure competence and total passivity, always managing to come out on the winning side. The book is categorized as romantasy, with Violet pulled between the comforting love she feels from her childhood best friend, Dain Aetos, and the incendiary attraction she feels for family enemy Xaden Riorson. However, the way Dain constantly undermines Violet's abilities and his lack of character development make this an unconvincing storyline. The plots and subplots aren’t well-integrated, with the first half purely focused on Violet’s training, followed by a brief detour for romance, and then a final focus on outside threats.
Read this for the action-packed plot, not character development or worldbuilding.Pub Date: May 2, 2023
ISBN: 9781649374042
Page Count: 528
Publisher: Red Tower
Review Posted Online: Jan. 12, 2024
SEEN & HEARD
BOOK TO SCREEN
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