An offbeat but overly complicated teen fantasy adventure.
A tween boy and his teenage sibling and cousin find themselves in a strange realm in Rick Williams Sr. and Brady Williams’ middle-grade fantasy series starter.
Twelve-year-old Jason, his slightly older sister Amanda, and their 15-year-old cousin Elisa decide to go back in time to save their fathers from untimely deaths. They discover secret technology their grandfather designed at his planetarium, which they think is a time machine. However, when they attempt to use it, they end up in medieval times in what’s known as the Belacamber universe—and it’s not the Middle Ages from history books. Not only does it feature magic, elves, and dragons, it also contains dinosaurs. Their Grandpap is already there, fortunately, and provides them with guidance. They soon learn that the new universe normally contains alternate versions of themselves, who’ve now swapped places with them in the reality they’ve left. The three teens join their Grandpap on a quest to find a medicinal plant to heal the ailing queen, but soon get caught up in the conflict with nearby Jurassica—a primarily dinosaur-focused nation—and participate in numerous battles. They also learn that they’re Star Life Keepers, who have special powers that allow them to protect the Belacamber universe. Young readers may find the various place names, prophecies, quests, and types of creatures are difficult to keep straight as the narrative goes on. Early in the story, for instance, it’s revealed that Jason, Amanda, and Elisa are very slowly absorbing the memories of their alternate selves; this sometimes works as an easy way to catch readers up, but it sometimes just leads to more confusion (as Amanda herself states). However, many young readers are sure to enjoy a world that features both dragons and dinosaurs. The elves are coded as broadly Indigenous, described as “brown-skinned” and living in huts made of animal skins and corn stalks and wearing “deerskin dresses with colorful beads”; Jason is portrayed as hard of hearing. Occasional grayscale illustrations, credited to Prayan Animation, offer simple representations of characters and creatures.
An offbeat but overly complicated teen fantasy adventure.Pub Date: March 7, 2024
ISBN: 9798987420010
Page Count: 367
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: Feb. 12, 2025
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
An absorbing fantasy centered on a resilient female protagonist facing growth, change, and self-empowerment.
In Florence’s middle-grade fantasy novel, a young girl’s heart is tested in the face of an evil, spreading Darkness.
Eleven-year-old Lydia, “freckle-cheeked and round-eyed, with hair the color of pine bark and fair skin,” is struggling with the knowledge that she has reached the age to apprentice as an herbalist. Lydia is reluctant to leave her beloved, magical Mulberry Glen and her cozy Housetree in the woods—she’ll miss Garder, the Glen’s respected philosopher; her fairy guardian Pit; her human friend Livy; and even the mischievous part-elf, part-imp, part-human twins Zale and Zamilla. But the twins go missing after hearing of a soul-sapping Darkness that has swallowed a forest and is creeping into minds and engulfing entire towns. They have secretly left to find a rare fruit that, it is said, will stop the Darkness if thrown into the heart of the mountain that rises out of the lethal forest. Lydia follows, determined to find the twins before they, too, fall victim to the Darkness. During her journey, accompanied by new friends, she gradually realizes that she herself has a dangerous role to play in the quest to stop the Darkness. In this well-crafted fantasy, Florence skillfully equates the physical manifestation of Darkness with the feelings of insecurity and powerlessness that Lydia first struggles with when thinking of leaving the Glen. Such negative thoughts grow more intrusive the closer she and her friends come to the Darkness—and to Lydia’s ultimate, powerfully rendered test of character, which leads to a satisfyingly realistic, not quite happily-ever-after ending. Highlights include a delightfully haunting, reality-shifting library and a deft sprinkling of Latin throughout the text; Pit’s pet name for Lydia is mea flosculus (“my little flower”). Fine-lined ink drawings introducing each chapter add a pleasing visual element to this well-grounded fairy tale.
An absorbing fantasy centered on a resilient female protagonist facing growth, change, and self-empowerment.Pub Date: Jan. 7, 2025
ISBN: 9781956393095
Page Count: 288
Publisher: Waxwing Books
Review Posted Online: Oct. 14, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2025
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
A worthy combination of athletic action, the virtues of inner strength, and the importance of friendship.
A young tennis champion becomes the target of revenge.
In this sequel to Legacy and the Queen (2019), Legacy Petrin and her friends Javi and Pippa have returned to Legacy’s home province and the orphanage run by her father. With her friends’ help, she is in training to defend her championship when they discover that another player, operating under the protection of High Consul Silla, is presenting herself as Legacy. She is so convincing that the real Legacy is accused of being an imitation. False Legacy has become a hero to the masses, further strengthening Silla’s hold, and it becomes imperative to uncover and defeat her. If Legacy is to win again, she must play her imposter while disguised as someone else. Winning at tennis is not just about money and fame, but resisting Silla’s plans to send more young people into brutal mines with little hope of better lives. Legacy will have to overcome her fears and find the magic that allowed her to claim victory in the past. This story, with its elements of sports, fantasy, and social consciousness that highlight tensions between the powerful and those they prey upon, successfully continues the series conceived by late basketball superstar Bryant. As before, the tennis matches are depicted with pace and spirit. Legacy and Javi have brown skin; most other characters default to White.
A worthy combination of athletic action, the virtues of inner strength, and the importance of friendship. (Fantasy. 9-12)Pub Date: Aug. 24, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-949520-19-4
Page Count: 224
Publisher: Granity Studios
Review Posted Online: July 27, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2021
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