Engaging; despite some flaws, this is a successful debut.
Alchemists battle magicians and a skilled young woman and her country are caught in the middle in this “Rumpelstiltskin” adaptation.
Sepha’s town of Three Mills is counting on her unusual alchemy skills to keep their jobs—and her abusive father will make her pay for any mistake. But when things go wrong, desperation gets Sepha into deep trouble, first with the dangerous Magistrate and then with an evil magician who offers to save her for the price of her firstborn child. Her only way out is to create a new life for him in lieu of a future baby. As she attempts to use her alchemy skills to create a body for the magician, she makes discoveries about herself, her few allies, and her country that turn her world upside down and place her at the center of a plan that will either save or destroy her homeland. This complex fantasy hits the ground running and never slows down, with complicated twists, turns, and discoveries in every chapter. Sepha is a sympathetic protagonist whose bad decisions are easily overlooked; readers will follow her trials with interest even if some obstacles feel a bit contrived and overly drawn out. While Vitale’s writing is lovely in places and hackneyed in others, most readers will get through the nearly 400 action-packed pages with pleasure. Most main characters seem to be white; Sepha’s love interest has brown skin.
Engaging; despite some flaws, this is a successful debut. (Fantasy. 12-18)Pub Date: May 26, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-951710-17-0
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Month9Books
Review Posted Online: March 24, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2020
A heavy read about the harsh realities of tragedy and their effects on those left behind.
In this companion novel to 2013’s If He Had Been With Me, three characters tell their sides of the story.
Finn’s narrative starts three days before his death. He explores the progress of his unrequited love for best friend Autumn up until the day he finally expresses his feelings. Finn’s story ends with his tragic death, which leaves his close friends devastated, unmoored, and uncertain how to go on. Jack’s section follows, offering a heartbreaking look at what it’s like to live with grief. Jack works to overcome the anger he feels toward Sylvie, the girlfriend Finn was breaking up with when he died, and Autumn, the girl he was preparing to build his life around (but whom Jack believed wasn’t good enough for Finn). But when Jack sees how Autumn’s grief matches his own, it changes their understanding of one another. Autumn’s chapters trace her life without Finn as readers follow her struggles with mental health and balancing love and loss. Those who have read the earlier book will better connect with and feel for these characters, particularly since they’ll have a more well-rounded impression of Finn. The pain and anger is well written, and the novel highlights the most troublesome aspects of young adulthood: overconfidence sprinkled with heavy insecurities, fear-fueled decisions, bad communication, and brash judgments. Characters are cued white.
A heavy read about the harsh realities of tragedy and their effects on those left behind. (author’s note, content warning) (Fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: Feb. 6, 2024
ISBN: 9781728276229
Page Count: 416
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Review Posted Online: Jan. 5, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2024
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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