An unforgettable coming-of-age tale set against the backdrop of mythical creatures and faraway lands.
In Strong’s YA fantasy novel, the first in a series, a teen with dreams of riding dragons defies a powerful ruling Council.
In the fantastical realm of Juro, 15-year-old Astria Sannfjaer wants nothing more than to be a Rider like her father, Jorie, who disappeared (along with his dragon) five years ago. But the people of her home valley of Invernell abide by the Council, and the Council insists that Astria can’t be a Rider until Jorie trains her. A Rider partners with a single dragon, and Astria has seemingly found one; Zephyr is smaller than other dragons, and he can’t fly, but he’s fixated on the teenager. At the Vederlofte, a ceremony in which youths go before the Council to declare their chosen craft, Astria chooses Rider, which the Council continues to disapprove. The real reason they deny her may be her uncanny ability to understand dragons, including their “honks”; the Council believes Astria’s the Speaker, recalling a Speaker/Rider who long ago turned dragons against humans and “used them to enslave the world.” Astria, who stays loyal to Zephyr, is effectively on her own—her mother, Skye, and Jorie’s friend Efrin can’t sway the Council, despite Skye being one of the 12 Council members. Outside of Invernell, Astria mingles with the Northmen, “foreign” neighbors whom her people are prone to dismiss. But the Army of the North would make a great ally against the Quarajii, a conquering barbarian horde that may be “the Darkness” that many fear is imminent.
Strong’s story shares some similarities with the How to Train Your Dragon book and movie series as it centers around the plucky Astria. She defies others’ expectations throughout the novel as the Council tries to mold her future (even suggesting she’ll win their favor if she gets engaged to a local boy). Her longing to be a Rider is about forging her own path, a desire for freedom that she doesn’t yet necessarily know she wants or needs. Astria is a strong person who consistently proves herself, from finding a way to help Zephyr fly to staving off hunger while out in the wild (Zephyr, like all dragons, hunts for himself and won’t share his catch). The supporting cast shines just as brightly: Various Council members stand out for their stubborn antagonism, while quite a few Invernell citizens (eventually) show that they’re on Astria’s side. The resilient young hero discovers a worthy romantic interest and interacts with several other dragons, namely the mostly reliable dragon Vandrare (who’s “wild” because he’s not partnered with a Rider). The author’s prose is both concise and colorful: “The nearby cornfields were bare, and the clans busied themselves with the wheat harvest. Along the valley rim, elm trees glowed yellow between live oaks, and scattered within the village, maple trees blazed red.” In this opening installment of Strong’s series, ample surprises and character developments unfold, leaving any number of directions for the next entry to take.
An unforgettable coming-of-age tale set against the backdrop of mythical creatures and faraway lands.Pub Date: N/A
ISBN: 9780986359934
Page Count: 359
Publisher: Impulse Fiction
Review Posted Online: May 5, 2025
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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
Raw, delicate, and deeply caring.
When Death-Cast doesn’t call, fate intertwines the lives of two boys, both haunted by their pasts and with futures they can’t escape.
In this third installment of the series that opened with 2017’s They Both Die at the End, Paz Dario waits every night for Death-Cast to call—as it should have for his father nearly 10 years ago, when Paz shot him to save his mother’s life. But the call never comes. Death-Cast killed Paz’s dreams of an acting career: No one will hire him now because the world sees him as a villain. When Paz tries (not for the first time) to put an end to his suffering, an unexpected encounter with Alano Rosa, the heir of Death-Cast, stops him. Both in a place of desperation, Alano and Paz sign a contract to live for Begin Days instead of waiting for their End Days. As suspenseful and emotionally wrenching as the previous titles in the series, this new installment explores heavy themes of abuse, mental health, self-harm, and suicide. Paz grapples with a recent diagnosis of borderline personality disorder. Silvera surrounds Alano and Paz with a web of complex relationships. Although the protagonists fall fast for one another and form a deep connection over Alano’s desire to support Paz, Silvera emphasizes the importance of professional help. Both Alano and Paz have Puerto Rican heritage. The cliffhanger ending promises more to come.
Raw, delicate, and deeply caring. (content warning, resources) (Speculative fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: May 6, 2025
ISBN: 9780063240858
Page Count: 720
Publisher: Quill Tree Books/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: March 22, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2025
© Copyright 2025 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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