An inventive, wholesome adventure steeped in mythology but hampered by uneven prose.
A debut YA novel sees a Canadian hockey fanatic tasked with keeping the Arthurian sorceress Morgana from escaping her magical prison.
Twenty-four-year-old filmmaker Ian Dekker lives in Toronto. He has just successfully unveiled his first feature—a hockey biopic—when a letter from his grandfather’s attorneys calls him back to the family house in Montreal. Ian was close to his grandfather growing up. Now, 13 years after his grandfather’s death, Ian is charged with carrying on his legacy—a secret double life in which old magic is kept at bay. Through his grandfather, Ian is descended from the Pendragon family, the royal bloodline that gave rise to King Arthur and Morgana, the dark apprentice of the wizard Merlin. For hundreds of years, Morgana has been trapped in the hilted jewel of the sword Excalibur. Now, aided by the 17th-century witch Abigail Williams, Morgana is on the verge of breaking free. Ian is out of his depth. He is pursued by Morganian Monks (malevolent magicians) and has only his grandfather’s journal and a scattering of clues to guide him. Will his happy childhood memories give him the strength necessary to vanquish Morgana? Bell writes as an omniscient narrator and with an eye to exposition, leaving readers scant mysteries to solve. Ian is a virtuous character but not especially proactive. Much of what he learns is through information dumps. The story is fundamentally imaginative—successfully marrying Arthurian legend with modern-day Canada. But the characters evince no shades of gray. In Ian’s world, there are good and evil. The only ambiguity comes when the latter takes possession of the former. The plot moves quickly but is let down by less-than-slick prose and dialogue. For example: “Lorne drove into an underground parking garage that led to the destination Ian was headed to. The building above the garage housed these offices, and it was also connected to the aforementioned Underground City. The offices they headed for were a long way up, located on the 29th floor, and the elevator ride seemed to never end.” Although the delivery lacks flavor, the book has an underlying piquancy and is not without positives—most notably, Ian’s strong relationship with his mother. Younger readers may find the story engaging.
An inventive, wholesome adventure steeped in mythology but hampered by uneven prose.Pub Date: N/A
ISBN: 978-1-5255-7762-8
Page Count: -
Publisher: FriesenPress
Review Posted Online: June 4, 2021
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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
Black is building a complex mythology; now is a great time to tune in.
Black is back with another dark tale of Faerie, this one set in Faerie and launching a new trilogy.
Jude—broken, rebuilt, fueled by anger and a sense of powerlessness—has never recovered from watching her adoptive Faerie father murder her parents. Human Jude (whose brown hair curls and whose skin color is never described) both hates and loves Madoc, whose murderous nature is true to his Faerie self and who in his way loves her. Brought up among the Gentry, Jude has never felt at ease, but after a decade, Faerie has become her home despite the constant peril. Black’s latest looks at nature and nurture and spins a tale of court intrigue, bloodshed, and a truly messed-up relationship that might be the saving of Jude and the titular prince, who, like Jude, has been shaped by the cruelties of others. Fierce and observant Jude is utterly unaware of the currents that swirl around her. She fights, plots, even murders enemies, but she must also navigate her relationship with her complex family (human, Faerie, and mixed). This is a heady blend of Faerie lore, high fantasy, and high school drama, dripping with description that brings the dangerous but tempting world of Faerie to life.
Black is building a complex mythology; now is a great time to tune in. (Fantasy. 14-adult)Pub Date: Jan. 2, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-316-31027-7
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: Sept. 25, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2017
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