by Sarah J. Sover ‧ RELEASE DATE: Aug. 2, 2019
Comedy-fantasy fans with strong stomachs will enjoy this book.
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A group of trolls plans to rob a greedy corporation in Sover’s fantasy debut.
Troll protagonist Granu is jobless and struggling to pay rent in New Metta, a subterranean city hidden from the sun. The former teacher was scarred physically and mentally by an attack by a group of troll students, and she spends most of her time at her favorite bar, Goron’s. Her friend Kradduk, a playboy with a heart of gold, works at The Covered Bridge (“TCB” for short), whose administrators lucratively charge humans a toll to cross. When Fillig, another pal, drunkenly suggests robbing TCB, they’re soon consumed by the plan—Fillig and Granu for financial reasons and Kradduk to settle a score. Granu recruits Len, a rather creepy hacker neighbor, while Fillig reveals details of the heist to Lyssa, an attractive troll with more intelligence than she lets on. New Metta is teeming with other oddly named creatures, including zimbles, molents, grawbacks, and swogs; the latter are powerful piglike beings with tiny wings who run TCB like a fraternity house. Eventually, the five trolls hatch a plan to outsmart the swogs, keep out of the sun (which would turn them to stone) and avoid the harassing billy goats who roam New Metta. Sover’s ability to gross out readers is nothing short of gleeful; Granu and the gang feast on kittens and “Unicorn fillets” and even contemplate eating one another in fits of rage. But they also have embarrassing one-night stands and are saddled with student loan debt. The worldbuilding is immersive, although it’s mostly just everyday human life with a few grotesque descriptors tacked on. Sover also attempts a twist on beauty standards: Granu is petite, green-eyed, and smooth-skinned, which her world finds humanoid and ugly; however, all three male supporting characters seem to be attracted to her nonetheless. Sover’s prose is strong, and her passion for her story is evident. A hopeful ending leaves room for further adventures.
Comedy-fantasy fans with strong stomachs will enjoy this book.Pub Date: Aug. 2, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-08-706482-6
Page Count: 316
Publisher: The Parliament House
Review Posted Online: Sept. 8, 2020
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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by Hannah Kaner ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 12, 2024
A bold series continuation from a fantasy author to watch.
In a world where old gods can pass away, new divinities may be born.
Hseth, the fire god whose cult murdered Kissen’s family in Godkiller (2023), is no more. However, problems continue to mount for the intrepid young warriors who managed to kill her. The orphaned Inara and her minor-god companion, Skedi, persevere on a seemingly unending search for answers—she to the questions surrounding her paternity, he to an illustrious past he cannot recall. In the aftermath of the climactic battle, King Arren has chosen a path that his best friend, Elo the baker-knight, cannot bring himself to follow, and Elo must reckon with the ramifications of turning his back on his liege. Just as Arren stokes the fires of his own illicit cult—with himself as figurehead—a resistance movement to save what remains of the world’s outlawed gods begins to heat up. Unable to come to terms with Elo’s desire to keep her away from the dangers of war, Inara makes a rash decision that ultimately sets the stage for mass unrest shortly before Arren’s victory tour arrives at their doorstep. Meanwhile, a presumed-dead Kissen fights her way back from the shores of the god who saved her life, only to find herself at odds with her friends’ and family’s goals. You see, Elo, Inara, and the rest have forgotten one very simple rule: Dead gods can always come back. Tested alliances fuel this tightly plotted found-family thrill ride. The worldbuilding is complex, but the reader never feels bogged down beneath its weight. As with the previous installment, queerness and disability are woven into the fabric of the narrative; Kissen and her sisters are queer and disabled, a prominent secondary character is transgender, and several tertiary couples are gay and lesbian. Although the pacing does become a little too frenetic in the novel’s final chapters, as the point of view switches rapidly among protagonists, Kaner has penned another page-turner in this projected trilogy.
A bold series continuation from a fantasy author to watch.Pub Date: March 12, 2024
ISBN: 9780063350106
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Harper Voyager
Review Posted Online: Jan. 20, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2024
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by Hannah Kaner
by Brandon Sanderson ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 4, 2023
Engrossing worldbuilding, appealing characters, and a sense of humor make this a winning entry in the Sanderson canon.
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New York Times Bestseller
A fantasy adventure with a sometimes-biting wit.
Tress is an ordinary girl with no thirst to see the world. Charlie is the son of the local duke, but he likes stories more than fencing. When the duke realizes the two teenagers are falling in love, he takes Charlie away to find a suitable wife—and returns with a different young man as his heir. Charlie, meanwhile, has been captured by the mysterious Sorceress who rules the Midnight Sea, which leaves Tress with no choice but to go rescue him. To do that, she’ll have to get off the barren island she’s forbidden to leave, cross the dangerous Verdant Sea, the even more dangerous Crimson Sea, and the totally deadly Midnight Sea, and somehow defeat the unbeatable Sorceress. The seas on Tress’ world are dangerous because they’re not made of water—they’re made of colorful spores that pour down from the world’s 12 stationary moons. Verdant spores explode into fast-growing vines if they get wet, which means inhaling them can be deadly. Crimson and midnight spores are worse. Ships protected by spore-killing silver sail these seas, and it’s Tress’ quest to find a ship and somehow persuade its crew to carry her to a place no ships want to go, to rescue a person nobody cares about but her. Luckily, Tress is kindhearted, resourceful, and curious—which also makes her an appealing heroine. Along her journey, Tress encounters a talking rat, a crew of reluctant pirates, and plenty of danger. Her story is narrated by an unusual cabin boy with a sharp wit. (About one duke, he says, “He’d apparently been quite heroic during those wars; you could tell because a great number of his troops had died, while he lived.”) The overall effect is not unlike The Princess Bride, which Sanderson cites as an inspiration.
Engrossing worldbuilding, appealing characters, and a sense of humor make this a winning entry in the Sanderson canon.Pub Date: April 4, 2023
ISBN: 9781250899651
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Tor
Review Posted Online: April 11, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2023
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by Brandon Sanderson & Janci Patterson ; illustrated by Charlie Bowater & Ben McSweeney
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