An atmospheric, spellbinding fantasy brimming with adventure, magic, and delightfully strange creatures.
Four young friends must put their bravery to the test when dark forces threaten their harmonious world in Rininger’s middle-grade fantasy novel.
As the Gloomlands, a shadowy realm, creeps closer to idyllic Illumara, the parents of spirited pals Karo, Elara, Xander, and Orson are called to battle. Elara’s magic-possessing mother stays behind in Ravenwood, their quiet village, to care for them, but the foursome’s hunger for adventure quickly leads to trouble. Bearing a basket of offerings, they venture into the woods in search of a faerie portal to try to summon one of the mysterious “fae.” Their plan works only too well as they release several mischievous—sometimes menacing—faeries. Among them is a small, flying creature with “delicate wings” and a cunning shapeshifter who wreaks havoc at the market. The youths must find a way to return the fae to their realm before the autumn equinox; if they fail, faeries will flood their peaceful land, and the ancient barrier protecting them from the Gloomlands will be compromised. Karo, meanwhile, is convinced her mothers are keeping a secret about her lineage. Do the faeries have the answers she seeks? From the first page, Rininger deftly immerses readers into an enchanting world occupied by melodic fae, amusing chatty trees, and tiny, whimsical house trolls. The author balances fantastical elements with relatable ordinary life as the characters grapple with issues of identity, disharmony, and long-harbored family secrets while journeying toward self-discovery. The pacing could be improved by trimming some of the dialogue and day-to-day minutiae, but the novel’s diverse cast, fascinating folklore, and beautifully descriptive prose enrich the tale. (“Her long violet hair, adorned with colorful wildflower petals, cascaded down her back, and she wore an opal gown that shimmered like moonlight against her dark skin,” Rininger writes of a fae.) This imaginative debut will capture the heart and imagination of any adventure-loving middle-grade reader.
An atmospheric, spellbinding fantasy brimming with adventure, magic, and delightfully strange creatures.Pub Date: June 9, 2025
ISBN: 9788776351748
Page Count: 356
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: Aug. 29, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2025
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
A pleasing premise for book lovers.
A fantasy-loving bookworm makes a wonderful, terrible bargain.
When sixth grader Poppy Woodlock’s historic preservationist parents move the family to the Oregon coast to work on the titular stately home, Poppy’s sure she’ll find magic. Indeed, the exiled water nymph in the manor’s ruined swimming pool grants a wish, but: “Magic isn’t free. It cosssts.” The price? Poppy’s favorite book, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. In return she receives Sampson, a winged lion cub who is everything Poppy could have hoped for. But she soon learns that the nymph didn’t take just her own physical book—she erased Narnia from Poppy’s world. And it’s just the first loss: Soon, Poppy’s grandmother’s journal’s gone, then The Odyssey, and more. The loss is heartbreaking, but Sampson’s a wonderful companion, particularly as Poppy’s finding middle school a tough adjustment. Hartman’s premise is beguiling—plenty of readers will identify with Poppy, both as a fellow bibliophile and as a kid struggling to adapt. Poppy’s repeatedly expressed faith that unveiling Sampson will bring some sort of vindication wears thin, but that does not detract from the central drama. It’s a pity that the named real-world books Poppy reads are notably lacking in diversity; a story about the power of literature so limited in imagination lets both itself and readers down. Main characters are cued White; there is racial diversity in the supporting cast. Chapters open with atmospheric spot art. (This review has been updated to reflect the final illustrations.)
A pleasing premise for book lovers. (Fantasy. 9-12)Pub Date: May 2, 2023
ISBN: 9780316448222
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: Feb. 24, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2023
BOOK REVIEW
Rich and strange (and kitted out with an eye-catching cover), but stronger in the set pieces than the internal logic.
Chainani works an elaborate sea change akin to Gregory Maguire’s Wicked (1995), though he leaves the waters muddied.
Every four years, two children, one regarded as particularly nice and the other particularly nasty, are snatched from the village of Gavaldon by the shadowy School Master to attend the divided titular school. Those who survive to graduate become major or minor characters in fairy tales. When it happens to sweet, Disney princess–like Sophie and her friend Agatha, plain of features, sour of disposition and low of self-esteem, they are both horrified to discover that they’ve been dropped not where they expect but at Evil and at Good respectively. Gradually—too gradually, as the author strings out hundreds of pages of Hogwarts-style pranks, classroom mishaps and competitions both academic and romantic—it becomes clear that the placement wasn’t a mistake at all. Growing into their true natures amid revelations and marked physical changes, the two spark escalating rivalry between the wings of the school. This leads up to a vicious climactic fight that sees Good and Evil repeatedly switching sides. At this point, readers are likely to feel suddenly left behind, as, thanks to summary deus ex machina resolutions, everything turns out swell(ish).
Rich and strange (and kitted out with an eye-catching cover), but stronger in the set pieces than the internal logic. (Fantasy. 11-13)Pub Date: May 14, 2013
ISBN: 978-0-06-210489-2
Page Count: 496
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Feb. 12, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2013
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