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THE SECRET OF THE ZIPACNA DRAGONS

An ambitious fantasy tale that builds an enticing world with simple but effective details.

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In Jayaraj’s debut fantasy novel, a young orphan trains to be a dragon slayer and soon questions where his loyalties lie.

The peoples of the world of Adijari are waging war against the dragons. Many different species of dragons have gathered at the Zipacna Mountains, and the elves have constructed the nearby military base of Delthurk. Although it’s elven, other peoples, such as amesha, dev, and qui-lahk, reside at Delthurk as they prepare to fight the dragons into extinction. Twelve-year-old elf Gradni lives at an orphanage, having lost his dragon-slayer father, Yorn, to the reptilian creatures. After Gradni defeats a bully, Delthurk senator Mogurn recruits him to undergo training to become a dragon slayer with the belief that Gradni has what it takes to lead warriors in the final battle against dragons. The young man is in competition, of sorts, with Erdūn, an amesha with whom the Fire Spirit, Ta’ar, has chosen to share his power. Ta’ar hopes that the skilled Erdūn, who’s younger than Gradni, will turn out to be the world’s greatest slayer of dragons. Gradni, meanwhile, trains with Yagura, who’s one of the Disciples of Gaorda, a group of devs that reputedly wiped out the entire species of sesha dragons. The boy hopes to prove his worth on his first mission to the Zipacna Mountains. But he quickly learns why some slayers don’t return from those mountains—and that his loyalties may lie with the wrong side.

Over the course of this book, Jayaraj packs the tale with numerous characters, some of whom are only touched upon, such as the qui-lahk people, who are seen relatively rarely. Despite the narrative’s epic scale, it still moves at a rapid pace, which the author achieves, at least in part, with modest descriptions. The diverse peoples, for example, are distinguished primarily by their skin color: The devs are blue-skinned, for example, while the elves are frequently described as “pale.” Similarly, the differences between dragon species seem fairly minute. This does, however, lead to a pronounced, well-incorporated theme of “fear of difference”; the dragons, it seems, are truly united while the four peoples have a common enemy but often differing motivations. The story largely centers on Gradni, but a few subplots effectively expand Jayaraj’s world. One of the more notable storylines involves the amesha nation of Aristahl, where Ta’ar rules. Aristahl has made weapons and armor for other nations to fight the war against the dragons, causing its own resources to dwindle to the point that it’s headed “toward ruin.” The novel consists of two parts, the latter of which hinges on a drastic plot turn that ultimately reveals the predictable, titular secret and leads to hefty battle sequences in the final act. Moments of intrigue complement the action; some people at Delthurk aren’t as honest as they initially appear to be, and readers are made aware of a “new dragon” at the Zipacna Mountains that’s more formidable than the others.

An ambitious fantasy tale that builds an enticing world with simple but effective details.

Pub Date: Aug. 21, 2018

ISBN: 978-1-4787-6115-0

Page Count: 292

Publisher: Outskirts Press

Review Posted Online: June 20, 2020

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2020

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BLOOD AND MOONLIGHT

Dark thrills for fans of psychology, magick, and murder.

A girl uncovers her own secrets while chasing a serial killer in a fantasy city.

Catrin is the assistant to Magister Thomas, the head architect of the wondrous Holy Sanctum in the city of Collis. While inspecting scaffolds at night, Cat hears a scream and follows the sound only to find a gruesome murder scene. The Comte de Montcuir assigns Simon, a handsome, young distant relation of his, to investigate. As a witness, Cat hides some information because the murdered girl visited Magister Thomas earlier that evening, and she doesn’t want to give his political enemies leverage. In the course of investigating, Cat starts to uncover her own past and things that may make her uniquely qualified to hunt the killer. As more sex workers are brutally killed, Cat, Simon, and his Montcuir cousins develop a profile of the killer—a profile that fits multiple people close to Cat. Plenty of clues and red herrings keep her (and readers) guessing. The romantic storylines gain tension as Cat must decide whom to trust. The “madness” of the killer is clearly separated from mental illness, and diversity in the presentation of mental illness is emphasized. Racially, most characters read as White; there’s an in-universe diversity storyline related to an isolationist nocturnal sect some believe to have magick. The story ends with high-stakes action and long-reaching consequences.

Dark thrills for fans of psychology, magick, and murder. (author's note) (Fantasy thriller. 14-adult)

Pub Date: June 28, 2022

ISBN: 978-1-250-75581-0

Page Count: 448

Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux

Review Posted Online: March 28, 2022

Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2022

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THE ANGEL OF THE CROWS

A Sherlock Holmes–esque novel that truly breaks the mold.

An alternate-world fantasy that adds a few welcome twists to the famous Holmes and Watson archetypes.

Addison’s novel begins with an injured army doctor returning to London from Afghanistan and taking up residence with an eccentric detective in a flat on Baker Street. Readers don’t have to be mystery aficionados to guess what’s going on here, but this is no ordinary take on Sherlock Holmes. Addison’s 1880s London is populated with werewolves, vampires, and angels alongside its serial killers and common thieves. The Watson figure, here called Dr. Doyle, turns into a hellhound at night due to a supernatural injury, which Doyle must keep secret or risk being punished for not having registered with the government as an occult creature. The Sherlock figure, here called Crow, is an angel who helps Scotland Yard (Lestrade is still Lestrade, as useless as ever) solve its trickiest cases. Recognizable Arthur Conan Doyle mysteries and characters have new life in this sturdily built fantasy universe, making it fun to read even such familiar tales. All the while, the detectives watch the papers for more news on the grisly Whitechapel murders, committed by the all-too-human Jack the Ripper. As Doyle and Crow explore London’s seedy occult underground, Addison doesn’t shy away from discussing the era’s racism. It would be a spoiler to be too specific, but what really makes this title stand out among a sea of Sherlock Holmes stories is its straightforward criticism of gender roles and the gender binary itself.

A Sherlock Holmes–esque novel that truly breaks the mold.

Pub Date: June 23, 2020

ISBN: 978-0-7653-8739-4

Page Count: 448

Publisher: Tor

Review Posted Online: March 28, 2020

Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2020

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