A thoughtful, exhilarating, and shocking continuation.
A teen guards her whale charges against new and deadlier threats in this follow-up to Under the Heavens (2022).
Kim Teng is no longer Caretaker for the Ark Project whales as they continue their journey on the spaceship Seiiki toward New Eden. Rather than abandon her duties, she continues communicating with the whales via her Link and updates her followers on Earth. Even with being accompanied by two Earth United scoutships and having withdrawn new Caretaker Yoshi, love interest Wren, and droid friend Adonai aboard, Kim fears an attack from the Crusaders, whom she previously supported, or the equally fanatical Adherants. When the Seiiki is sabotaged and crashes on New Eden, Kim races to get her friends into their new ocean home, struggling against limited resources, EU soldiers, and mysterious howling monsters lurking in the jungle. Compared to Kim’s solitary and more focused Caretaker experience, this journey, which includes a missing planet and multiple mind-bending mysteries, feels much broader, sometimes to the plot’s detriment. But the discussions of belief and the theme of change, as explored through the whales, the Seiiki’s computer, Adonai, and Kim herself, shine. Likewise, the religious overlay intersects thoughtfully with the element of colonialism. The romance is mature and realistically developed, and Kim’s history and its effect on her previous relationship is likewise understandable. The cast is diverse in race and nationality.
A thoughtful, exhilarating, and shocking continuation. (author’s notes) (Science fiction. 13-18)Pub Date: Aug. 29, 2023
ISBN: 9780744309706
Page Count: 368
Publisher: CamCat Books
Review Posted Online: Aug. 26, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2023
BOOK REVIEW
Immersive and engaging, despite some flaws, and destined to capture imaginations.
Magic, mystery, and love intertwine and invite in this newest take on the “enchanted circus” trope.
Sisters raised by their abusive father, a governor of a colonial backwater in a world vaguely reminiscent of the late 18th century, Scarlett and Donatella each long for something more. Scarlett, olive-skinned, dark of hair and attitude, longs for Caraval, the fabled, magical circus helmed by the possibly evil Master Legend Santos, while blonde, sunny Tella finds comfort in drink and the embraces of various men. A slightly awkward start, with inconsistencies of attitude and setting, rapidly smooths out when they, along with handsome “golden-brown” sailor Julian, flee to Caraval on the eve of Scarlett’s arranged marriage. Tella disappears, and Scarlett must navigate a nighttime world of magic to find her. Caraval delights the senses: beautiful and scary, described in luscious prose, this is a show readers will wish they could enter. Dresses can be purchased for secrets or days of life; clocks can become doors; bridges move: this is an inventive and original circus, laced with an edge of horror. A double love story, one sensual romance and the other sisterly loyalty, anchors the plot, but the real star here is Caraval and its secrets.
Immersive and engaging, despite some flaws, and destined to capture imaginations. (Fantasy. 14 & up)Pub Date: Jan. 31, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-250-09525-1
Page Count: 416
Publisher: Flatiron Books
Review Posted Online: Sept. 18, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2016
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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
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