Pleasant “chosen one” YA fantasy, with little tension, a few bracing scenes, and a likable hero.
In sibling authors Shaffer and Shaffer Kaminski’s debut novel, the first volume of a trilogy, a young dwarf with magical powers undertakes an important mission.
Although 50 years old, bookish dwarf Gavrin is a youth. At the requisite foretelling ceremony to determine his life path, Gavrin learns he is a mage, one of only three in existence. In the past, power-hungry Mezzarin, also a mage, abused his powers; although not dead, he has been asleep for hundreds of years. Another mage, wise Mellarin, is rumored to live in Northern Alzrith, far from Gavrin’s home of Sanctuary. Although Gavrin would rather remain with his mother, the beautiful Belvin, it is his mission to locate Mellarin, from whom he will receive valuable instruction in using his powers. Accompanying Gavrin on his journey are the brave warrior Thundermark, a son of King Meteormark; the human Brill, a sergeant in the King’s Army; the giant Karnik; and Palar, a somewhat reformed thief. In this first installment of three, characters are introduced along with some lore, including how Gavrin must find six valuable and powerful talismans in various locations throughout the land. This volume seems less a stand-alone book than a set of introductory chapters with an ending that suggests what’s to come. Thus far, the villains, although portrayed as self-interested and evil, don’t act particularly evil. Gavrin—an emotional and exceedingly decent fellow—vacillates between childlike and adult perspectives, as teens do. He’s given to weeping (even in passages that don’t seem to warrant it) and capable of mercy, as when he saves Palar from beheading; however, he and his companions abandon a treacherous bridge keeper to a cruel fate. The story, which seems best suited for tweens and younger, is clearly and simply told and evenly paced, with little violence or edge. That said, there are the occasional inspired moments; in particular, an encounter with a runaway dragon ends unexpectedly and humorously.
Pleasant “chosen one” YA fantasy, with little tension, a few bracing scenes, and a likable hero.Pub Date: Jan. 26, 2015
ISBN: 978-1495478703
Page Count: 168
Publisher: CreateSpace
Review Posted Online: April 1, 2015
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Who is victorious? The author and the readers.
The conclusion to the Villains trilogy asks, In a world where there are no heroes, what does victory really mean?
Schwab’s world is one where violent near-death experiences can engender ExtraOrdinaries, people who come back to life with a new superpowered ability, but lacking empathy, patience, and a variety of other, gentler qualities. In this installment, Victor Vale is becoming increasingly desperate; ever since Sydney Clarke used her power to bring him back from the dead, control over his own ability to cause and dampen pain has been slipping. Sydney herself is chafing against her life on the run with Victor’s protective ex-cellmate, Mitch Turner, and struggling with missing both Victor and her dead sister, Serena, whom she might not be able to resurrect—and definitely shouldn’t. Meanwhile, a psychiatrist, Dr. Gabriel Gray, discovers the existence of ExtraOrdinary people and seeks to harness their power for himself with tragic consequences for himself and many other people. Because the narrative skips around in time, it becomes clear fairly early that a final conflict is looming at EON, a high-tech facility where ExtraOrdinaries are imprisoned and experimented upon. This series has really lived up to its title; while antiheroes and villains have been popular protagonists for quite some time, not every writer is willing to lean into the darkness as hard as Schwab does. Some of her characters were psychopaths even before their near-death traumas, which means they didn’t have much moral fiber to begin with. And even the people who are basically good do a lot of bad and often foolish things when faced with a crisis…and there are a lot of crises. The strength of this series lies in Schwab’s ExtraOrdinary power to make you care for many of these incredibly rash, ethically dubious—some verging on irredeemable—characters anyway. As a result, the story rises above the usual grimdark cynical slog; instead, this is a gripping and nuanced saga with an ending that feels both inevitable and well earned.
Who is victorious? The author and the readers.Pub Date: Oct. 6, 2026
ISBN: 9781250192233
Page Count: 592
Publisher: Tor
Review Posted Online: Sept. 25, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2026
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Read this for the action-packed plot, not character development or worldbuilding.
On the orders of her mother, a woman goes to dragon-riding school.
Even though her mother is a general in Navarre’s army, 20-year-old Violet Sorrengail was raised by her father to follow his path as a scribe. After his death, though, Violet's mother shocks her by forcing her to enter the elite and deadly dragon rider academy at Basgiath War College. Most students die at the War College: during training sessions, at the hands of their classmates, or by the very dragons they hope to one day be paired with. From Day One, Violet is targeted by her classmates, some because they hate her mother, others because they think she’s too physically frail to succeed. She must survive a daily gauntlet of physical challenges and the deadly attacks of classmates, which she does with the help of secret knowledge handed down by her two older siblings, who'd been students there before her. Violet is at the mercy of the plot rather than being in charge of it, hurtling through one obstacle after another. As a result, the story is action-packed and fast-paced, but Violet is a strange mix of pure competence and total passivity, always managing to come out on the winning side. The book is categorized as romantasy, with Violet pulled between the comforting love she feels from her childhood best friend, Dain Aetos, and the incendiary attraction she feels for family enemy Xaden Riorson. However, the way Dain constantly undermines Violet's abilities and his lack of character development make this an unconvincing storyline. The plots and subplots aren’t well-integrated, with the first half purely focused on Violet’s training, followed by a brief detour for romance, and then a final focus on outside threats.
Read this for the action-packed plot, not character development or worldbuilding.Pub Date: May 2, 2023
ISBN: 9781649374042
Page Count: 528
Publisher: Red Tower
Review Posted Online: Jan. 12, 2024
SEEN & HEARD
BOOK TO SCREEN
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