This inventive epic about two kingdoms soars above its faults.
War, treachery, and star-crossed lovers abound in this high fantasy novel.
The tale follows the stories of three young people. The first is Vesperi Sellwyn, princess of the harsh land of Medua, who is trying to learn how to control a dark “talent” she’s inherited: the ability to summon fire at will. In her culture, the best she can hope for in life is a marriage to a tolerable man. But with her talent and an ambitious, cunning nature, Vesperi intends to make sure that she—not her disabled younger brother—will inherit the throne. Janto Albrecht is prince of Lansera, a pleasanter kingdom hostile to Medua, and is preparing to marry his true love, Serra Gavenstone. But first he must undergo the grueling Murat training to prove he is worthy to become king one day. Meanwhile, Serra learns that her brother, a spy, has been killed in Medua. While she’s still grieving, a member of the mysterious, priestly Brotherhood tells her that she has been chosen by the goddess Madel for a special initiation. As their stories progress, the three characters’ paths draw closer together, and as tensions between Medua and Lansera rise, they are all drawn into a fight for a common cause. Farrell’s (Maya’s Vacation, 2011) book is imaginative, filled with detailed worldbuilding, but rarely bogged down in exposition. Each of the protagonists’ stories is engaging in its own way. Sometimes the author’s constant barrage of concocted words and place names (“chorna moths,” “jurgen,” “Rasselerians,” and “Sheven Teeth,” just to name a few early ones) can get confusing; a glossary would have been helpful. Vesperi is the most intriguing of the three protagonists, despite being the most morally questionable, since she is the only one who appears to have agency from the very beginning. Janto and Serra spend a large portion of the novel following cryptic prophecies from the Brotherhood instead of making their own choices. But they’re still likable enough, and these faults don’t remove the tale’s fun.
This inventive epic about two kingdoms soars above its faults.Pub Date: Aug. 22, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-946154-00-2
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Meerkat Press
Review Posted Online: July 12, 2017
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Well-drawn characters and playful twists keep this thriller fully charged.
This YA SF novel features a teen who must halt a virus that will kill two-thirds of humanity.
In Silver Oak, Maryland, Alice Sherman is a high school junior enjoying lunch near her campus basketball court. With her is Archie, her brother, a senior and science prodigy who likes equations more than his fellow students. Alice has been Archie’s one true friend since their mother left six years ago. Alice is about to catch up with Lalana Bunyasarn, her best friend, when a sudden “streak of electricity zaps through” her head. The agony intensifies until a Voice enters Alice’s mind, asking her, “Do you want this pain to stop?” The Voice then instructs her to go up to Bandit Sakda, a classmate playing basketball, and say that she loves him. Bandit is a beautiful Thai boy who’s talented and arrogant. Strangely, the Voice calls her Malice and says not to fall for him because “it’ll only make what you have to do later harder.” Eventually, Alice learns that the Voice belongs to someone from 10 years in the future who needs help saving humanity. A virus will be created by a person Alice knows that will wipe out two-thirds of the world population. Following the Voice’s directions can save everyone—except the person Alice is ordered to kill. Dunn’s (Star-Crossed, 2018, etc.) latest YA adventure offers increasingly tantalizing twists that gleam in succession like nested matryoshka dolls. Alice will charm readers with her quirks, especially her devotion to Chris Hemsworth of Marvel’s Avengers films. Tension builds as characters in the large cast, including crushworthy Zeke Cain and the brilliant Cristela Ruiz, become potential targets for Alice’s mission. Details about Thai culture add a splendid dimension to the narrative; for example, Bandit is pronounced “bun-dit” and means “one who is wise.” While the notion of a high school killer may not sit well with some, the author doesn’t use the device lightly. Her book takes a strong anti-bullying stance, doing so through an entertaining narrative that doesn’t resort to preaching. The author’s heart and craftiness make a sequel welcome.
Well-drawn characters and playful twists keep this thriller fully charged.Pub Date: Feb. 4, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-64063-412-1
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Entangled Teen
Review Posted Online: Jan. 16, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2020
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Any moral that may be gleaned from the tangled narrative is buried in confusion. (Fantasy. YA)
A convoluted fantasy offering a series of morals about justice, mercy, human treatment of animals and human treatment of other humans.
A cluster of animals have been educated by a World War II veteran and his activist wife. The animals, a now-vegetarian mix of carnivores, herbivores and omnivores, live in harmony on Cloudburst Mountain. Following their scriptures (the Bible, Animal Farm and judgments such as “Humans Are Evil”), they plan for the day when they will kill all the humans and rule the world. The tale follows the adventures of their coyote prophet Justice and human ally Cody as they travel the United States preparing other animals for “The Rebellion.” Though they meet mostly repellent, violent humans and mistreated animals, they also encounter enough well-meaning, victimized humans to make Cody question his alliance with the cause of human genocide. Meanwhile, the grandson of the original human missionaries to the animals threatens the entire endeavor as he plans to mine the mountain for uranium. Ultimately, the animals succeed in murdering the vast majority of the human race, giving them hope for a shining new day. This overly complex tale is dense with purple prose and far too many extraneous characters–for example, Gordon “Raindance” Fell, the Shadow Shaman of the Pokihallah tribe; and Forest Victor, who appears for the first time late in the story, saying of his never-mentioned-before dead wife, “if only her hatred of the evil deeds of the baby seal killers hadn’t drawn her and her cameras into a combative stance.”
Any moral that may be gleaned from the tangled narrative is buried in confusion. (Fantasy. YA)Pub Date: June 21, 2006
ISBN: 0-595-39274-1
Page Count: -
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: May 23, 2010
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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