A solid series entry that takes its characters in exciting new directions.
A team of feisty, superpowered teenagers fights to prevent a global war in this YA SF sequel to Extant (2019).
Newland follows up her solid debut with an even more engaging second installment, which starts with Natalie Morrigan, Tawney Davis, Owen Johnson, and Brant Smith on the run from the cultlike, totalitarian Nautilus organization. They’re currently holed up in a new safe house, a lighthouse called Ancora III, with their dogs, Enzo and Angie. They have no idea what happened to their friend Leo Merrick, and they’ve also lost their beloved mentor, Natalie’s uncle Christopher Reyes. Natalie struggles with her inability to control a unique, newfound time-traveling power known as “tacking,” and she also keeps a secret from her friends—that they’re all adopted—believing they need to hear the truth directly from their parents. However, Nautilus, bent on world domination, is still holding their parents hostage. When her friends insist on attending a large festival in Florida to blow off some steam, Natalie reluctantly agrees. When the event turns out to be a Nautilus recruiting fair, the four hatch a plan to infiltrate its headquarters by posing as new trainees. Meanwhile, Leo finds himself on the other side of the ocean, severely wounded and in the care of three strange sisters who have their own good reasons to hate and fear Nautilus. The narrative alternates between Natalie’s and Leo’s points of view, and the author deftly fills in the relevant background details while jumping right into the current action. Unexpected new angles on familiar characters and intriguing new players, with their own surprising secrets and quirks, add depth to the story. Plenty of action pulls the reader along, moving from the lighthouse to St. Augustine, Florida; Paris; Scotland; Iceland; and the Chesapeake Bay, and from Métro to bicycle to private jet. The plot avoids the open-ended middle-of-a-trilogy trap, providing a satisfyingly complete story arc while also building on the debut and setting up an intriguing premise for a third novel.
A solid series entry that takes its characters in exciting new directions.Pub Date: April 4, 2021
ISBN: 9781733345842
Page Count: 390
Publisher: Hiking Hedgehog Press, LLC
Review Posted Online: March 2, 2023
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
A spectacular return to a magical world.
Following the events of Impossible Creatures (2024), a devoted Guardian teams up with a brave princess to fight her power-hungry uncle and save the Archipelago’s dragons from a strange new threat.
Jacques the dragon summons Christopher Forrester back to the Archipelago from the human world: Dragons are dying, and no one knows why. Meanwhile, on the island of Dousha, Princess Anya’s grandfather, King Halam, has been murdered, and her father accused—though she knows he’s innocent. When Christopher and Anya take refuge on the islet of Glimt, the Berserker Nighthand helps them see how their twin missions to save the dragons and free Anya’s father are connected. They work together to create an antidote for the poison that’s killing the dragons and to keep Anya and her father safe from her murderous uncle. Meanwhile, Nighthand and Irian, the part-nereid ocean scholar, pursue their own important secret mission. Divided into three parts—“Castle,” “Dragons,” and “Revenge”—and containing elements of fairy tales, fantasy, and Shakespeare, this story continues the storyline established in the series opener, yet because it introduces new characters and obstacles, it could also stand alone. Dark-blond Anya (“five feet tall and all of it claws”) is a match for white-presenting Christopher, who, though he still misses Mal, finds that “it made a difference to have someone to move through the world with again. A friend changed the feel of the universe.” Mackenzie’s delicate, otherworldly art adorns the text.
A spectacular return to a magical world. (map, bestiary) (Fantasy. 10-15)Pub Date: Sept. 11, 2025
ISBN: 9780593809907
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Knopf
Review Posted Online: May 30, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2025
PROFILES
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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