A high-fantasy riff on The Princess Bride lacking both humor and heart.
When Princess Amarande’s true love is kidnapped, she doesn’t hesitate to set out to rescue him.
Princess Amarande and Luca, who is in charge of the king’s stables, have always shared a special bond. But recently, it’s felt different; a charged feeling simmers between them. Before either finds the courage to confront it, tragedy strikes: Her father, King Sendoa, falls dead. Amarande reels; she doesn’t believe the Warrior King died naturally—it must have been murder. But the Royal Council cares more about succession: In order to rule, Amarande must wed. Despite her resistance, it isn’t long before other kingdoms send eager suitors. The princess finds them abhorrent, conniving, and power hungry. Amarande spits in the face of tradition, pulling her sword on a suitor at her father’s funeral and declaring that she won’t settle. In the midst of her rebellion, Luca is kidnapped. A note left behind instructs her to marry a specific suitor or she’ll never see her love again. Ever fearless, Amarande sets off, determined to save Luca and her kingdom. Though the princess rallies valiantly against entrenched patriarchy, Amarande reads as one-note. Well-plotted action sequences and intricate political machinations can’t make up for Luca’s similar one dimensionality, which makes their love story—the backbone of the story—difficult to care about. Most characters appear to be white; some have brown skin.
A high-fantasy riff on The Princess Bride lacking both humor and heart. (Fantasy. 14-18)Pub Date: July 7, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-250-23742-2
Page Count: 352
Publisher: Tor Teen
Review Posted Online: May 1, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2020
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
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
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