Here’s hoping the last installment isn’t such a quagmire of negative tropes and stereotypes. Disappointing.
A gender-bent Swan Lake retelling and sequel to Roses (2013).
Ode is born into the Taone tribe, whose society, though they inhabit a fantasy world, parallels multiple aspects of real Native American cultures. At his birth, the birther—always a woman—shocks everyone by announcing that Ode will be her apprentice. Such an upset in gender norms is too much for the chief (Ode’s father), the villagers, and eventually even his mother, Sunset By Forest, to accept. After his first public transformation into a swan, his ostracization is complete; only Cala, the birther who raises him, and his younger brother show him affection. That the Taone people are so uniformly and entirely unlikable makes for problematic cultural coding. When his tribesmen insist on fighting a people they don’t understand despite Ode’s dreams that warn of defeat, they’re nearly slaughtered. Through Ode’s intervention, they are integrated into the community of Magic refugees fleeing the Magical Cleansing. But Ode himself must flee into the wild, where he joins some missionaries, traveling with them across land and sea to their temple. Though the temple houses people from all over, the narrative falls into a tired and dubious trope: Ode falls for the petite, blue-eyed, blonde Briar, whose features are downright fetishized. The Magical Cleansing eventually reaches the temple, leading to a cliffhanger ending.
Here’s hoping the last installment isn’t such a quagmire of negative tropes and stereotypes. Disappointing. (Fantasy. 12-18)Pub Date: July 5, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-63450-165-1
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Sky Pony Press
Review Posted Online: May 3, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2016
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
Ideal for readers seeking perspectives on war, with a heavy dash of romance and touch of fantasy.
A war between gods plays havoc with mortals and their everyday lives.
In a time of typewriters and steam engines, Iris Winnow awaits word from her older brother, who has enlisted on the side of Enva the Skyward goddess. Alcohol abuse led to her mother’s losing her job, and Iris has dropped out of school and found work utilizing her writing skills at the Oath Gazette. Hiding the stress of her home issues behind a brave face, Iris competes for valuable assignments that may one day earn her the coveted columnist position. Her rival for the job is handsome and wealthy Roman Kitt, whose prose entrances her so much she avoids reading his articles. At home, she writes cathartic letters to her brother, never posting them but instead placing them in her wardrobe, where they vanish overnight. One day Iris receives a reply, which, along with other events, pushes her to make dramatic life decisions. Magic plays a quiet role in this story, and readers may for a time forget there is anything supernatural going on. This is more of a wartime tale of broken families, inspired youths, and higher powers using people as pawns. It flirts with clichéd tropes but also takes some startling turns. Main characters are assumed White; same-sex marriages and gender equality at the warfront appear to be the norm in this world.
Ideal for readers seeking perspectives on war, with a heavy dash of romance and touch of fantasy. (Fantasy. 14-18)Pub Date: April 4, 2023
ISBN: 978-1-250-85743-9
Page Count: 368
Publisher: Wednesday Books
Review Posted Online: Jan. 11, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2023
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