An appealing, otherworldly tale set in superlative realms—both real and fantastic.
In this third installment of a YA fantasy series, a teen’s unreliable magic may be the key to rescuing a kingdom threatened by mercenaries.
Peanut, 14, is the new prince of Romatica, or he will be once Queen Quila adopts him. She’ll soon wed Peanut’s uncle Pyck, but not everyone is happy about their impending vows. That’s because Pyck hails from Loorland, which Romatica’s now dead king tried conquering, only for the Looreans to defeat the Romatican army. The general of that vanquished army believes he should marry Quila; either way, he’s got plenty of mercenaries on his side to help seize her throne. Meanwhile, Peanut discovers he can wield magic like his uncle but can’t easily control his apparent power to manipulate gravity. But this ability may come in handy after someone finds a way to get rid of Caspen, “the agent of programmed cell death.” His absence could mean no more death, but the horrible repercussions outweigh the good, especially for a world with feuding soldiers and mercenaries. Peanut, in order to free Caspen from a black hole, must travel to the atom-sized world of Nanosia. Johnson, as always, aptly fuses science with fantasy in this volume. For example, even in the slightly larger Cenozonia, a DNA helix becomes a ladder while apoptosis-inducing factor agents police minuscule worlds. Though much of the story unfolds on regular-sized Earth, those portions are just as entertaining. The general’s obvious unrest slowly builds suspense as he sets his sights on—as Quila puts it—the “queendom” and blatantly threatens Pyck and others. Peanut is, at first, exasperating, as he endlessly complains about his royal attire, with a particular aversion to patent leather shoes. He’s nevertheless sympathetic, especially once the queen’s possible pregnancy seemingly ousts him as Romatica’s prince. Fortunately, the intrepid teen garners courage as the swiftly paced narrative progresses.
An appealing, otherworldly tale set in superlative realms—both real and fantastic.Pub Date: Nov. 29, 2020
ISBN: 979-8-56-722561-5
Page Count: 324
Publisher: Self
Review Posted Online: July 28, 2021
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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
A dark and gripping feminist tale.
A young woman faces her past to discover the truth about one of her nation’s heroes.
When Effy Sayre, the only female architecture student at her university in Llyr, wins the competition to design Hiraeth Manor for the estate of the late Emrys Myrddin, national literary figure and her favorite author, it is the perfect opportunity to leave behind a recent trauma. She arrives to find the cliffside estate is literally crumbling into the ocean, and she quickly realizes things may not be as they seem. Preston, an arrogant literature student, is also working at the estate, gathering materials for the university’s archives and questioning everything Effy knows about Myrddin. When Preston offers to include her name on his thesis—which may allow her to pursue the dream of studying literature that was frustrated by the university’s refusal to admit women literature students—Effy agrees to help him. He’s on a quest for answers about the source of Myrddin’s most famous work, Angharad, a romance about a cruel Fairy King who marries a mortal woman. Meanwhile, Myrddin’s son has secrets of his own. Preston and Effy start to suspect that Myrddin’s fairy tales may hold more truth than they realize. The Welsh-inspired setting is impressively atmospheric, and while some of the mythology ends up feeling extraneous, the worldbuilding is immersive and thoughtfully addresses misogyny and its effects on how history is written. Main characters are cued white.
A dark and gripping feminist tale. (Fantasy. 14-18)Pub Date: Sept. 19, 2023
ISBN: 9780063211506
Page Count: 384
Publisher: HarperTeen
Review Posted Online: July 13, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2023
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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