Dramatic, gripping, and fantastically fun.
This first entry in a prequel duology to the Spellslinger series follows the early life of Ferius Parfax.
A nameless 11-year-old girl survives the massacre of her clan only to be later captured by the mages who believe her people, the Mahdek, are demon worshippers who deserve nothing good. She is tortured and imprinted with metallic marks on her skin—a terrible curse that denies her any semblance of love and belonging and turns her into an outcast. But the nameless girl is nothing if not resilient, and years of vagrancy, thievery, and utter loneliness fuel her need for revenge against those who cursed her. When she comes across a nonmagical gambler who can seemingly get away with anything, she learns of the baffling and mysterious ways of the Argosi and a path to reclaiming her name and her identity. This introduction to the Spellslinger series is a twisting, gripping tale of prejudice, revenge, identity, and survival against all odds in a heady mix of magic, philosophy, and adventure, marred only by references to spirit animals in a non-Indigenous context. The story manages to maintain a lightness through Ferius’ snarky, funny narrative voice—a tremendous literary accomplishment considering the no-punches-pulled griminess of her tale, which includes suicidal ideation and sees its young protagonist endure graphic physical and mental torture. Lesbian Ferius reads as White.
Dramatic, gripping, and fantastically fun. (map) (Fantasy. 15-18)Pub Date: May 1, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-4714-0554-9
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Hot Key/Trafalgar
Review Posted Online: March 1, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2022
BOOK REVIEW
Only marginally intriguing.
In a remote part of Utah, in a “temple of excellence,” the best of the best are recruited to nurture their talents.
Redemption Preparatory is a cross between the Vatican and a top-secret research facility: The school is rooted in Christian ideology (but very few students are Christian), Mass is compulsory, cameras capture everything, and “maintenance” workers carry Tasers. When talented poet Emma disappears, three students, distrusting of the school administration, launch their own investigation. Brilliant chemist Neesha believes Emma has run away to avoid taking the heat for the duo’s illegal drug enterprise. Her boyfriend, an athlete called Aiden, naturally wants to find her. Evan, a chess prodigy who relies on patterns and has difficulty processing social signals, believes he knows Emma better than anyone. While the school is an insidious character on its own and the big reveal is slightly psychologically disturbing, Evan’s positioning as a tragic hero with an uncertain fate—which is connected to his stalking of Emma (even before her disappearance)—is far more unsettling. The ’90s setting provides the backdrop for tongue-in-cheek technological references but doesn’t do anything for the plot. Student testimonials and voice-to-text transcripts punctuate the three-way third-person narration that alternates among Neesha, Evan, and Aiden. Emma, Aiden, and Evan are assumed to be white; Neesha is Indian. Students are from all over the world, including Asia and the Middle East.
Only marginally intriguing. (Mystery. 15-18)Pub Date: April 14, 2020
ISBN: 978-0-06-266203-3
Page Count: 416
Publisher: Katherine Tegen/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Jan. 18, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2020
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A thrilling romance that could use more even pacing.
For the second time in her life, Leo must choose between her family and true love.
Nineteen-year-old Princess Leonie Kolburg’s royal family is bankrupt. In order to salvage the fortune they accrued before humans fled the frozen Earth 170 years ago, Leonie’s father is forcing her to participate in the Valg Season, an elaborate set of matchmaking events held to facilitate the marriages of rich and royal teens. Leo grudgingly joins in even though she has other ideas: She’s invented a water filtration system that, if patented, could provide a steady income—that is if Leo’s calculating Aunt Freja, the Captain of the ship hosting the festivities, stops blocking her at every turn. Just as Leo is about to give up hope, her long-lost love, Elliot, suddenly appears onboard three years after Leo’s family forced her to break off their engagement. Donne (Brightly Burning, 2018) returns to space, this time examining the fascinatingly twisted world of the rich and famous. Leo and her peers are nuanced, deeply felt, and diverse in terms of sexuality but not race, which may be a function of the realities of wealth and power. The plot is fast paced although somewhat uneven: Most of the action resolves in the last quarter of the book, which makes the resolutions to drawn-out conflicts feel rushed.
A thrilling romance that could use more even pacing. (Science fiction. 16-adult)Pub Date: Feb. 4, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-328-94894-6
Page Count: 400
Publisher: HMH Books
Review Posted Online: Nov. 9, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2019
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