A teen embarks on a search for truth in 1960s England. After his A-level exams, 18-year-old Stephen Wiston slogs his way through village life until a visit to London reunites him with Astrid, a past crush and companion. With Astrid’s encouragement, Stephen leaves the village, attending the Isle of Wight Festival, squatting in Brixton and joining a commune led by Astrid’s former lover, Spencer. When Astrid is critically injured, Stephen learns that he’s not the only one in pursuit of purpose. Cooper avoids both period and contemporary language, strengthening a somewhat weak narrative voice through the casual word choices. Stephen’s personality is thin, overshadowed by a lack of purpose and driven by external impetuses—odd for a character on a quest. Secondary characters, from tortured Vietnam War veterans to slumming rich girls, add charm and flavor to the plot—at least until their abrupt departures. Alternating themes advocating either self-reflection or self-abandonment are finally resolved, though the positive conclusion seems unrealistic. Ultimately, there’s nothing hampering the tale, but nothing to recommend it either. (Fiction. YA)
Pub Date: June 12, 2007
ISBN: 978-0-385-73270-3
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Delacorte
Review Posted Online: June 24, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2007
BOOK REVIEW
A raw, spirited, sometimes uneven tale of adventure and intrigue.
A young thief defies a brutal crime lord in this reimagining of 1820s Paris.
The French Revolution has failed, and the royals have restored order by day. But at night, it is the city’s criminals who rule, forming guilds bound by the laws of the Miracle Court. When famine strikes, young Nina’s avaricious father sells her older sister to the Tiger, the Lord of the Guild of Flesh, and Nina flees and becomes a burglar—the Black Cat of the Guild of Thieves. In time, Nina’s exploits win the admiration of allies from all classes of society. Meanwhile, the poor still starve, the royals poison them to suppress uprisings, and the other Lords cannot stop the Tiger from enslaving women. When the Tiger tries to seize Nina’s beautiful, innocent, young friend, Nina orchestrates a plot to kill him and save his victims, whatever the price. Grant’s debut is crowded with characters and events; the action feels rushed, with leaps of logic and time that can leave readers puzzled. But the narrative shines in its depictions of the gritty criminal underworld and its fierce and resourceful heroine. Nina has olive skin and black hair from her Algerian mother, and several characters are brown-skinned and dark-eyed. The Miracle Court is described as a place where race doesn’t matter (along with social class and religion), unlike the all-white royal court.
A raw, spirited, sometimes uneven tale of adventure and intrigue. (map, Miracle Court guide and laws) (Historical fantasy. 14-18)Pub Date: June 2, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-5247-7285-7
Page Count: 416
Publisher: Knopf
Review Posted Online: March 28, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2020
A thoroughly enjoyable Sapphic romp.
Two medieval teens smash the patriarchy.
Gwen only desires to prove herself as a knight. But entering the men’s-only Tournament of Dragonslayers as “Sir Gawain” is difficult for a blacksmith’s daughter. Meanwhile, blond, blue-eyed Lady Isobelle desires agency, but as the prize for this year’s tournament, she knows her future looks grim. A chance encounter between the two young women sparks a scheme: Gwen will stay with Isobelle, posing as Gawain in the tournament and as his sister when she’s not disguised by a suit of armor. In exchange for training and funding, pale-skinned Gwen, who has black hair and green eyes, will try to win the tournament and Isobelle’s hand, thus rescuing Isobelle from a future with any of the other knights, whose behaviors exhibit textbook toxic masculinity. As their plan gains momentum, the pair soon realize their desire for success is only matched by their desire for each other. But the triple life Gwen leads can last only so long under the scrutiny of the patriarchy. Will she and Isobelle get the chance to be their own heroes? Compelling subplots center their fight against misogyny and classism, and several interludes by an unnamed narrator directly address readers, adding additional depth and intrigue to the worldbuilding. The authors insert abundant intentional anachronisms that successfully inject the story with levity, and Gwen and Isobelle’s chemistry is swoonworthy. There’s some racial diversity among secondary characters.
A thoroughly enjoyable Sapphic romp. (Historical fantasy. 14-18)Pub Date: June 3, 2025
ISBN: 9780062893390
Page Count: 432
Publisher: Storytide/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: March 22, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2025
© Copyright 2025 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
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
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
