An atmospheric twist on the classic Hans Christian Andersen tale.
A besotted mermaid surfaces to claim the object of her affection, with tragic results.
It’s 1914, 50 years since human witch Evie became a tentacled sea witch, anchored to an underwater lair by a powerful sea king. When Alia, a young mermaid princess, asks for Evie’s help in winning the love of Niklas, young king of a small Danish kingdom, Evie agrees, taking Alia’s voice as payment. However, Alia’s twin sister, Runa, asks Evie to help her bring Alia back home: After all, the king is betrothed to another, and for all of Alia’s allure, she doesn’t stand a chance. Unfortunately, Runa’s rescue attempt takes a dark turn, and the threat of war between human nations grows, as does the sea king’s desire for revenge on those who threaten his people’s existence. Runa just might be able to use her magic to throw a wrench into the war effort. Meanwhile Evie seeks to free herself from her prison and restore magic’s balance. Henning never lets her oceancentric tale get too deep but keeps the stakes high and the focus more on friendship and sisterly devotion than romance, although Runa does bond with a handsome young human. Driven by Runa’s and Evie’s narratives, this story works as a stand-alone, but Sea Witch (2018) fans will be happy to learn Evie’s fate. All characters are assumed white.
An atmospheric twist on the classic Hans Christian Andersen tale. (Fantasy. 12-15)Pub Date: Aug. 6, 2019
ISBN: 978-0-06-293147-4
Page Count: 416
Publisher: Katherine Tegen/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: June 4, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2019
Despite the stale fat-to-curvy pattern, compelling world building with a Southern European, pseudo-Christian feel,...
Adventure drags our heroine all over the map of fantasyland while giving her the opportunity to use her smarts.
Elisa—Princess Lucero-Elisa de Riqueza of Orovalle—has been chosen for Service since the day she was born, when a beam of holy light put a Godstone in her navel. She's a devout reader of holy books and is well-versed in the military strategy text Belleza Guerra, but she has been kept in ignorance of world affairs. With no warning, this fat, self-loathing princess is married off to a distant king and is embroiled in political and spiritual intrigue. War is coming, and perhaps only Elisa's Godstone—and knowledge from the Belleza Guerra—can save them. Elisa uses her untried strategic knowledge to always-good effect. With a character so smart that she doesn't have much to learn, body size is stereotypically substituted for character development. Elisa’s "mountainous" body shrivels away when she spends a month on forced march eating rat, and thus she is a better person. Still, it's wonderfully refreshing to see a heroine using her brain to win a war rather than strapping on a sword and charging into battle.
Despite the stale fat-to-curvy pattern, compelling world building with a Southern European, pseudo-Christian feel, reminiscent of Naomi Kritzer's Fires of the Faithful (2002), keeps this entry fresh. (Fantasy. 12-14)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2011
ISBN: 978-0-06-202648-4
Page Count: 432
Publisher: Greenwillow Books
Review Posted Online: July 19, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2011
This is no didactic near-future warning of present evils, but a cinematic adventure featuring endearing, compelling heroes
A gripping thriller in dystopic future Los Angeles.
Fifteen-year-olds June and Day live completely different lives in the glorious Republic. June is rich and brilliant, the only candidate ever to get a perfect score in the Trials, and is destined for a glowing career in the military. She looks forward to the day when she can join up and fight the Republic’s treacherous enemies east of the Dakotas. Day, on the other hand, is an anonymous street rat, a slum child who failed his own Trial. He's also the Republic's most wanted criminal, prone to stealing from the rich and giving to the poor. When tragedies strike both their families, the two brilliant teens are thrown into direct opposition. In alternating first-person narratives, Day and June experience coming-of-age adventures in the midst of spying, theft and daredevil combat. Their voices are distinct and richly drawn, from Day’s self-deprecating affection for others to June's Holmesian attention to detail. All the flavor of a post-apocalyptic setting—plagues, class warfare, maniacal soldiers—escalates to greater complexity while leaving space for further worldbuilding in the sequel.
This is no didactic near-future warning of present evils, but a cinematic adventure featuring endearing, compelling heroes . (Science fiction. 12-14)Pub Date: Nov. 29, 2011
ISBN: 978-0-399-25675-2
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Putnam
Review Posted Online: April 8, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2011
BOOK TO SCREEN
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