A piquant mix of adolescent romance and adventure.
An Indian girl must keep her powers hidden while serving as a bodyguard in this futuristic YA fantasy.
Sixteen-year-old Kira Shine lives in a small village east of Raj City, the capital of the kingdom of Rajekstan, which is the second of the Five Kingdoms representing an alternative future history of the post-British Raj. Kira works at a menial job to support herself and her parasitic father. She also engages in clandestine mental healing through the use of her Third Eye—an organ that appears on her forehead and which she keeps covered by a headband. Kira believes herself a charlatan. The eye is real, but her so-called magic is nothing more than an act. But when she saves a highborn boy (Trace Lyon) on the skyboard slopes and later has to attend to him, genuine powers reveal themselves. Kira finds she can read the emotions of anyone she touches. Unfortunately, Trace’s father now knows her secret. Lest he reveal her to the Queen, Kira agrees to attend Trace’s elite school (masquerading as his cousin) and use her unique abilities to protect him from an unidentified attacker. Can Kira keep herself and Trace safe? And what of her heart now that she’s caught the attention of Ajay, the debonair crown prince? In this series opener, Ardis writes in the first person, past tense, and presents an engaging mix of fantasy worldbuilding and teenage courtship. The setting is deftly painted, its future technology (skyboards, bio-watches, hyperloop trains) seamlessly integrated with known history and real-world class divisions. The friction between Kira and Trace is predictable but believable, as is (remarkably) the developing attraction between the protagonist and Ajay. Kira’s unchecked outspokenness is at times a leap too far, but for the most part, she talks and acts naturally, as do the other characters. The author thus draws readers in without exposing them to the oft-seen pitfalls of a mercurial protagonist or logic-spurning volte-faces. The result is a well-paced story that delights without disappointing. Teen readers will devour this first volume and eagerly await its sequel.
A piquant mix of adolescent romance and adventure.Pub Date: N/A
ISBN: N/A
Page Count: 315
Publisher: Vulcan Ink Media
Review Posted Online: Aug. 17, 2020
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
There’s not much plot here, but readers will relish the opportunity to climb inside Autumn’s head.
The finely drawn characters capture readers’ attention in this debut.
Autumn and Phineas, nicknamed Finny, were born a week apart; their mothers are still best friends. Growing up, Autumn and Finny were like peas in a pod despite their differences: Autumn is “quirky and odd,” while Finny is “sweet and shy and everyone like[s] him.” But in eighth grade, Autumn and Finny stop being friends due to an unexpected kiss. They drift apart and find new friends, but their friendship keeps asserting itself at parties, shared holiday gatherings and random encounters. In the summer after graduation, Autumn and Finny reconnect and are finally ready to be more than friends. But on August 8, everything changes, and Autumn has to rely on all her strength to move on. Autumn’s coming-of-age is sensitively chronicled, with a wide range of experiences and events shaping her character. Even secondary characters are well-rounded, with their own histories and motivations.
There’s not much plot here, but readers will relish the opportunity to climb inside Autumn’s head. (Fiction. 14 & up)Pub Date: April 1, 2013
ISBN: 978-1-4022-7782-5
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Review Posted Online: Feb. 12, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2013
BOOK REVIEW
SEEN & HEARD
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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