A rewarding fantasy about a family’s curse with strong characters.
In this YA fantasy, a 17-year-old outcast seeks a new life in his native land.
Rowan’s alabaster complexion and red eyes always marked him as different from everyone around him in the isolated village of Karahvel. But it’s the curse running through his veins that truly sets him apart, a curse that makes anyone who spends time with him have a shorter life span. After his most recent guardian, his beloved Naja, becomes the latest person to die as a result of the curse, he is exiled from the village, sent away from everything he has ever known. Lost and grieving, Rowan embarks on an adventurous trail where he meets Tahira, a girl with a similar complexion. She becomes his companion on his journey to Shandria, the land he is originally from. Once there, he is excited to be home (“Rowan never imagined a land existed where people sharing his physical characteristics lived and thrived….he knew without a doubt he belonged here”). He learns of his tragic family history and the curse placed on his mother and on him when he was still in the womb. As Rowan attempts to carve out a place for himself and break his curse—if he has any hopes of living a normal life alongside Tahira, the girl he loves—his conniving, murderous half brother, Akaran Keliss, must contend with this newcomer. Akaran believes that Rowan has come to Shandria to upend his life—and everything he believes in about his family. Cotta’s character-driven, slow-paced fantasy features two main characters on opposite sides of the spectrum. Rowan prefers to solve conflicts through words rather than use his spear while Akaran often punches first and asks questions later. The story’s first half concentrates primarily on Rowan and his yearning to belong somewhere (or to someone). But then the tale shifts most of its focus to Akaran, who evolves as a character in the work’s final part. This results in some uneven storytelling, but it reinforces the tale’s ultimately thoughtful take on how the curse placed on the siblings’ mother has affected their lives in different ways. Each chapter of this engaging novel starts with a beautiful black-and-white illustration by Cotta.
A rewarding fantasy about a family’s curse with strong characters. (Fantasy. 14-18)Pub Date: Dec. 6, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-957656-03-8
Page Count: 342
Publisher: Monarch Educational Services, L.L.C.
Review Posted Online: Aug. 12, 2022
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
An ode to the children of migrants who have been taken away.
A Mexican American boy takes on heavy responsibilities when his family is torn apart.
Mateo’s life is turned upside down the day U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents show up unsuccessfully seeking his Pa at his New York City bodega. The Garcias live in fear until the day both parents are picked up; his Pa is taken to jail and his Ma to a detention center. The adults around Mateo offer support to him and his 7-year-old sister, Sophie, however, he knows he is now responsible for caring for her and the bodega as well as trying to survive junior year—that is, if he wants to fulfill his dream to enter the drama program at the Tisch School of the Arts and become an actor. Mateo’s relationships with his friends Kimmie and Adam (a potential love interest) also suffer repercussions as he keeps his situation a secret. Kimmie is half Korean (her other half is unspecified) and Adam is Italian American; Mateo feels disconnected from them, less American, and with worries they can’t understand. He talks himself out of choosing a safer course of action, a decision that deepens the story. Mateo’s self-awareness and inner monologue at times make him seem older than 16, and, with significant turmoil in the main plot, some side elements feel underdeveloped. Aleman’s narrative joins the ranks of heart-wrenching stories of migrant families who have been separated.
An ode to the children of migrants who have been taken away. (Fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: May 4, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-7595-5605-8
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: Feb. 22, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2021
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
In addition to the supernatural elements, Brosgol interweaves some savvy insights about the illusion of perfection and...
A deliciously creepy page-turning gem from first-time writer and illustrator Brosgol finds brooding teenager Anya trying to escape the past—both her own and the ghost haunting her.
Anya feels out of place at her preppy private school; embarrassed by her Russian heritage, she has worked hard to lose her accent and to look more like everyone else. After a particularly frustrating morning at the bus stop, Anya storms off, only to accidentally fall down a well. Down in the dark hole, she meets Emily, a ghost who claims to be a murder victim trapped down in the dank abyss for 90 years. With Emily’s help, Anya manages to escape, though once free, she learns that Emily has traveled out with her. At first, Emily seems like the perfect friend; however, once her motives become clear, Anya learns that “perfect” may only be an illusion. A moodily atmospheric spectrum of grays washes over the clean, tidy panels, setting a distinct stage before the first words appear. Brosgol’s tight storytelling invokes the chilling feeling of Neil Gaiman’s Coraline (2002), though for a decidedly older set.
In addition to the supernatural elements, Brosgol interweaves some savvy insights about the illusion of perfection and outward appearance. (Graphic supernatural fiction. 12 & up)Pub Date: June 7, 2011
ISBN: 978-1-59643-552-0
Page Count: 224
Publisher: First Second
Review Posted Online: April 18, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2011
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