A frustratingly shallow peek into an intriguing world.
A teen’s life is turned upside down when she’s abducted for an unethical experiment.
Apart from her father’s death a few months ago, 17-year-old Stella leads an ordinary life. She gossips with her best friend and argues with her mother. But everything changes when Stella is kidnapped and brought to the Manor de Rêves, a laboratory run by the formidable Ms. Withers. There, Stella finds out she’s a Dreamer—people with a genetic mutation that allows them to “dream the future.” Under Ms. Withers’ direction, the Dreamers’ REM sleep is recorded and harvested for intel. Stella befriends fellow Dreamers Caleb and Nora and wonders about the mysterious Charlie, a boy she swears she recognizes. The four teens are determined to escape and get back to their normal lives, but watching eyes are everywhere. Tepid prose and stilted dialogue bog down an otherwise interesting concept. The chapters are mostly composed of filler, with scenes narrated by Caleb, Nora, and Charlie describing their lives before they arrived at the Manor. These interludes fail to sufficiently establish the characters’ backstories and detract from the more intriguing escape plot. Blossoming romances among the protagonists feel forced and lack chemistry, and worldbuilding details—such as how the Manor records dreams and what it does with the information it gains—are glossed over, which may leave readers frustrated. Most characters are cued white; Nora has “caramel skin and dark features.”
A frustratingly shallow peek into an intriguing world. (Fantasy. 12-16)Pub Date: Aug. 13, 2024
ISBN: 9781644284063
Page Count: -
Publisher: Rare Bird Books
Review Posted Online: May 17, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2024
A lushly written story with an intriguing heart.
After praying to a Fate for help, Evangeline discovers the dangerous world of magic.
When her father passes away, Evangeline is left with her cold stepmother and kind but distant stepsister, Marisol. Despite inheriting a steady trust in magic, belief in her late mother’s homeland of the mystical North (where fantastical creatures live), and philosophy of hope for the future, her dreams are dashed when Luc, her love, pledges to marry Marisol instead. Evangeline desperately prays to the Prince of Hearts, a dangerous and fickle Fate famed for his heart that is waiting to be revived by his one true love—and his potentially lethal kisses. The bargain they strike sends her on a dark and magical journey throughout the land. The writing style fluctuates from clever and original to overly verbose and often confusing in its jumble of senses. While the pervasive magic and concept of the Fates as a religious system add interest, other fantasy elements are haphazardly incorporated without enough time devoted to building a cohesive world. However, the themes of love, the power of story, family influence, and holding onto belief are well rounded and add depth. The plot contains welcome surprises, and the large cast piques curiosity; readers will wish more time was spent getting to know them. Evangeline has rose-gold hair and, like other main characters, reads as White; there is diversity among the fantasy races in this world.
A lushly written story with an intriguing heart. (map) (Fantasy. 12-16)Pub Date: Sept. 28, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-250-26839-6
Page Count: 416
Publisher: Flatiron Books
Review Posted Online: July 27, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2021
Dark, seductive, but over-the-top: Characters and book alike will enthrall those who choose to play.
Garber returns to the world of bestseller Caraval (2017), this time with the focus on younger, more daring sister Donatella.
Valenda, capital of the empire, is host to the second of Legend’s magical games in a single year, and while Scarlett doesn’t want to play again, blonde Tella is eager for a chance to prove herself. She is haunted by the memory of her death in the last game and by the cursed Deck of Destiny she used as a child which foretold her loveless future. Garber has changed many of the rules of her expanding world, which now appears to be infused with magic and evil Fates. Despite a weak plot and ultraviolet prose (“He tasted like exquisite nightmares and stolen dreams, like the wings of fallen angels, and bottles of fresh moonlight.”), this is a tour de force of imagination. Themes of love, betrayal, and the price of magic (and desire) swirl like Caraval’s enchantments, and Dante’s sensuous kisses will thrill readers as much as they do Tella. The convoluted machinations of the Prince of Hearts (one of the Fates), Legend, and even the empress serve as the impetus for Tella’s story and set up future volumes which promise to go bigger. With descriptions focusing primarily on clothing, characters’ ethnicities are often indeterminate.
Dark, seductive, but over-the-top: Characters and book alike will enthrall those who choose to play. (glossary) (Fantasy. 12-16)Pub Date: May 29, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-250-09531-2
Page Count: 464
Publisher: Flatiron Books
Review Posted Online: March 19, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2018
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