An enchanting romantic fantasy weaving together history, magic, and inspired resistance.
A teen bandit thrust into leadership of her clan fights for justice, dignity, and restoration of her people’s rights.
Orphaned at birth, adopted, and brought up by the leader of the Shadow Clan, Roshan’s innate healing powers take a back seat to guerilla raids for their survival. One such raid leads to the capture of Prince Navin, a gadabout royal second in line to the throne. The clan hopes to barter his freedom to stop crushing blood tithes and reclaim their land. Atrocities by the governors’ marauding army have turned once-fertile valleys into barren wastelands where villagers face starvation, violence, and displacement. While the prince tries to use his magic to secure his escape, the poverty and desperation he witnesses ignite a spark of awareness alongside growing attraction to his captor. The alternating voices of the prince and the rebel pit the power and corruption of the privileged against the hardship, steely determination, and hope of people fighting for their birthright. The evocative writing reveals a magical world of rugged landscapes, underground caverns, dark magic, political machinations, surprising plot twists, diverse peoples, and deeply seated prejudices that reflect contemporary times. While the quest for resolution takes a slightly naïve turn, the historical inspirations of real-life bandits and Indian and Persian mythology create a spellbinding fantasy.
An enchanting romantic fantasy weaving together history, magic, and inspired resistance. (glossary, author’s note) (Fantasy. 13-18)Pub Date: May 23, 2023
ISBN: 9780374389116
Page Count: 448
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Review Posted Online: March 28, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2023
There’s not much plot here, but readers will relish the opportunity to climb inside Autumn’s head.
The finely drawn characters capture readers’ attention in this debut.
Autumn and Phineas, nicknamed Finny, were born a week apart; their mothers are still best friends. Growing up, Autumn and Finny were like peas in a pod despite their differences: Autumn is “quirky and odd,” while Finny is “sweet and shy and everyone like[s] him.” But in eighth grade, Autumn and Finny stop being friends due to an unexpected kiss. They drift apart and find new friends, but their friendship keeps asserting itself at parties, shared holiday gatherings and random encounters. In the summer after graduation, Autumn and Finny reconnect and are finally ready to be more than friends. But on August 8, everything changes, and Autumn has to rely on all her strength to move on. Autumn’s coming-of-age is sensitively chronicled, with a wide range of experiences and events shaping her character. Even secondary characters are well-rounded, with their own histories and motivations.
There’s not much plot here, but readers will relish the opportunity to climb inside Autumn’s head. (Fiction. 14 & up)Pub Date: April 1, 2013
ISBN: 978-1-4022-7782-5
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Review Posted Online: Feb. 12, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2013
BOOK REVIEW
SEEN & HEARD
A fantasy with complex characterization that will build anticipation for the next entry.
Three young people find their places in a world of vengeance and destiny in National Book Award winner Tahir’s duology opener set in the multicultural world of her An Ember in the Ashes series.
Aiz, from the impoverished nation of Kegar, seeks revenge against Tiral bet-Hiwa, an air squadron commander who, as a child, murdered Aiz’s fellow orphans. Guided by a voice claiming to be Mother Div, Kegar’s first queen, Aiz escapes imprisonment after her failed assassination attempt on Tiral and embarks on a journey to free Mother Div’s trapped spirit. In the Martial Empire, Sirsha, a skilled tracker with magical abilities who’s been banished from her homeland, is saved by a stranger who hires her to hunt an unnatural killer. Quil, the crown prince of the Martial Empire, faces an invasion by the Kegari and the lingering threat of a mysterious force responsible for recent murders, including those of two of his loved ones. As the storylines converge, Sirsha and Quil cross paths, leading to revelations about the insidious force. The story explores the blurred line between good and evil and the lengths one will go to for a better life. Tahir’s deep and intricate worldbuilding requires time for readers to fully grasp. Following a slow start, the plot engages as pieces fall into place, leading up to an unexpected ending. The beautiful writing compensates for the romantic relationships, which develop quickly and somewhat inorganically.
A fantasy with complex characterization that will build anticipation for the next entry. (Fantasy. 14-18)Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2024
ISBN: 9780593616949
Page Count: 496
Publisher: Putnam
Review Posted Online: July 19, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2024
SEEN & HEARD
SEEN & HEARD
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