by Michelle Zink ‧ RELEASE DATE: Aug. 1, 2010
In this sequel to the Victorian fantasy Prophecy of the Sisters (2009), Lia is resigned to a life spent as a pawn of prophecy, fighting the apocalyptic mission of her sister Alice and the demonic Samael. It’s time for Lia and her dearest friends to travel to Altus, the home of the magical Sisters and of the Grigori, who protect the Otherworlds. There she hopes to find the mystical artifact required to advance her preordained adventure onto the next stage. Though the pacing is forced, with a quest moved along more by the requirements of narrative than by any natural evolution, Lia’s journey takes her through many of the stepping stones of a good gothic adventure. There’s betrayal by a loved one, the introduction of a mysterious and attractive young man, the inopportune death of a mentor, even a chase scene through the French countryside. Often-florid Victorian language, though appropriate for the story’s mood, occasionally crosses the line from evocative to ridiculous (“Checkmate, I think. At least for now”). Dramatic set dressing, if little emotional resonance. (Fantasy. 12-14)
Pub Date: Aug. 1, 2010
ISBN: 978-0-316-03447-0
Page Count: 346
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: June 28, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2010
Categories: TEENS & YOUNG ADULT SCIENCE FICTION & FANTASY
Share your opinion of this book
Did you like this book?
More by Michelle Zink
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
by Marie Lu ‧ RELEASE DATE: Nov. 29, 2011
A gripping thriller in dystopic future Los Angeles.
Fifteen-year-olds June and Day live completely different lives in the glorious Republic. June is rich and brilliant, the only candidate ever to get a perfect score in the Trials, and is destined for a glowing career in the military. She looks forward to the day when she can join up and fight the Republic’s treacherous enemies east of the Dakotas. Day, on the other hand, is an anonymous street rat, a slum child who failed his own Trial. He's also the Republic's most wanted criminal, prone to stealing from the rich and giving to the poor. When tragedies strike both their families, the two brilliant teens are thrown into direct opposition. In alternating first-person narratives, Day and June experience coming-of-age adventures in the midst of spying, theft and daredevil combat. Their voices are distinct and richly drawn, from Day’s self-deprecating affection for others to June's Holmesian attention to detail. All the flavor of a post-apocalyptic setting—plagues, class warfare, maniacal soldiers—escalates to greater complexity while leaving space for further worldbuilding in the sequel.
This is no didactic near-future warning of present evils, but a cinematic adventure featuring endearing, compelling heroes . (Science fiction. 12-14)Pub Date: Nov. 29, 2011
ISBN: 978-0-399-25675-2
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Putnam
Review Posted Online: April 8, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2011
Share your opinion of this book
Did you like this book?
More by Marie Lu
BOOK REVIEW
by Marie Lu
BOOK REVIEW
by Marie Lu ; adapted by Stuart Moore ; illustrated by Chris Wildgoose
by Ransom Riggs ‧ RELEASE DATE: June 7, 2011
Riggs spins a gothic tale of strangely gifted children and the monsters that pursue them from a set of eerie, old trick photographs.
The brutal murder of his grandfather and a glimpse of a man with a mouth full of tentacles prompts months of nightmares and psychotherapy for 15-year-old Jacob, followed by a visit to a remote Welsh island where, his grandfather had always claimed, there lived children who could fly, lift boulders and display like weird abilities. The stories turn out to be true—but Jacob discovers that he has unwittingly exposed the sheltered “peculiar spirits” (of which he turns out to be one) and their werefalcon protector to a murderous hollowgast and its shape-changing servant wight. The interspersed photographs—gathered at flea markets and from collectors—nearly all seem to have been created in the late 19th or early 20th centuries and generally feature stone-faced figures, mostly children, in inscrutable costumes and situations. They are seen floating in the air, posing with a disreputable-looking Santa, covered in bees, dressed in rags and kneeling on a bomb, among other surreal images. Though Jacob’s overdeveloped back story gives the tale a slow start, the pictures add an eldritch element from the early going, and along with creepy bad guys, the author tucks in suspenseful chases and splashes of gore as he goes. He also whirls a major storm, flying bullets and a time loop into a wild climax that leaves Jacob poised for the sequel.
A trilogy opener both rich and strange, if heavy at the front end. (Horror/fantasy. 12-14)Pub Date: June 7, 2011
ISBN: 978-1-59474-476-1
Page Count: 234
Publisher: Quirk Books
Review Posted Online: March 31, 2014
Share your opinion of this book
Did you like this book?
More In The Series
by Ransom Riggs ; illustrated by Andrew Davidson
More by Ransom Riggs
BOOK REVIEW
by Ransom Riggs
BOOK REVIEW
by Ransom Riggs ; illustrated by Andrew Davidson
BOOK REVIEW
by Ransom Riggs
© Copyright 2021 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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
Trouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Trouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Don’t fret. We’ll find you.
Hey there, book lover.
We’re glad you found a book that interests you!