Dynamic human and animal characters headline this diverting supernatural tale.
A teen with newfound powers fights to protect both a magical realm and her own world in Foster’s YA fantasy and trilogy finale.
Alicia spends another summer at her family’s vacation cabin in the Idahoan woods. This visit has already entailed a return trip to the Wild Side, a magical realm that the 14-year-old girl first visited when she was 11. This time, in order to save her parents, she had to destroy the barrier that separated the human world from the Wild Side. Now, she wants to know if what she’s done has damaged anything, and Thunderbolt, an ancient being Alicia met not long ago, may have the answer. Her parents finally believe their daughter’s astonishing claims, at least more than they did three years back. Her dad, Richard, insists on joining her to follow Thunderbolt’s advice. The father and daughter travel through a forest that the merged worlds have left in disarray, encountering bizarre hybrids of trees and animals. Unfortunately, the Wild Side’s long-standing menace, Gran’Tree (a sentient great yellow pine), which previously fed off the land, now subsists on the animals that it ensnares in mounds of sticks. Luckily, Alicia has “rediscovered” an ability she apparently had when she was younger: Her fingertips generate fire. She may even be capable of another power, though that pales in comparison to a newly revealed secret that throws her into a tailspin. Will Alicia be able to restore the barrier if it proves a necessity? And must she first take out the formidable and diabolical Gran’Tree?
Foster’s thoroughly developed cast drives this smooth blend of melodrama and fantasy. Alicia resents her parents for their skepticism, which lingers even after they witness her supernatural ability; as she journeys with Richard, she quietly yearns for the acknowledgement that she’d been right all along but safeguards her dad when she can. Alicia is a brave, resilient girl who learns from, rather than ignores, her mistakes. Readers should check out the prior two installments, as this concluding entry openly references both of them throughout. The author’s vivid descriptions shine: “The lake in front of her was wide and like glass. Not a single breeze disturbed the surface and the billions of stars shining down from above created dots of light on the water.” Scenes unfold in dense woods full of wildlife—some creatures manage to communicate with Alicia and others that find themselves in harrowing circumstances. It’s strange, then, that the Big Bad is a “towering” tree, and that Alicia’s weapon for fighting back is fire, one of the greatest threats to a forest. Still, the narrative leads to a satisfying wrap-up and a worthy open ending (with more than enough remaining characters for a spinoff or two). The black-and-white artwork comes courtesy of Allen, who’s illustrated the entire series; the sharp, textured imagery ranges from a variety of animals to a forlorn Alicia in the pouring rain.
Dynamic human and animal characters headline this diverting supernatural tale.Pub Date: May 2, 2025
ISBN: 9798992634501
Page Count: 224
Publisher: Wisdom House
Review Posted Online: July 17, 2025
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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
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
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