A memorable fantasy world hampered by sketchily drawn characters and stereotypical elements.
Irish and Islamic mythologies collide as teenagers protect a Minnesota creek from hostile magic in this YA novel.
After 14-year-old Wendy Adair’s father dies in Iraq, her brother is arrested and her unreliable mother leaves for parts unknown. Wendy moves in with her Aunt Mary, Uncle Craig, and 14-year-old cousin Ben Preston, a nerdy boy who’s obsessed with a recent news event: A mysterious vandal has left 100 dead mussels in Minnehaha Creek. Ben is reluctant to let Wendy into his investigation, but then she meets a number of fantasy creatures, including a very attractive kelpie and two genies. Ben’s friends include Marion Werling, a socially awkward robotics aficionado, and Oliver, a Middle Eastern biology expert with a misogynistic streak; together, the boys make up the River Rangers, a team that’s dedicated to protecting Minnehaha Creek from malevolent supernatural beings. Through Oliver’s knowledge of Islamic legends, the Rangers infer that the genies are searching for a set of perfect, immensely valuable pearls. But Wendy soon realizes that they aren’t just focused on that item—they’re also looking for her. This environmentalist tale is peppered with likable magical creatures, including the charming, morally gray kelpie Cathal Corkin. Debut author Faust’s blending of Islamic and Irish traditions will leave many readers wanting to learn more about this fantasy world. However, Wendy’s feelings about her family situation are given only surface treatment, leaving her feeling underdeveloped as a character. Her constant dismissal of nerdiness and computer know-how also feels out of place for a modern teenager. In addition, the novel sometimes presents problematic stereotypes of the Middle East; for example, narrator Wendy instantly dislikes Oliver due to “some family history,” because her mother “mistrusted all Arabs or Mideasterns or whatever, claiming they were all terrorists”—a clumsy and uncomfortable take.
A memorable fantasy world hampered by sketchily drawn characters and stereotypical elements.Pub Date: June 6, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-68201-062-4
Page Count: 164
Publisher: North Star Press of St. Cloud
Review Posted Online: June 6, 2019
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
The breezy discussion of an unusual, appealing hobby keeps this problem novel from becoming overbearingly message-driven.
This short chapter book tackles common, but intimidating, childhood problems, such as bullies, divorce, step-parents and alcoholic parents.
Twelve-year old Ian shares the hobby of pigeon racing with his newly remarried dad, but he’s also entranced by Ollie, the falcon owned by the family of his new step-cousin, Chad. When Ollie kills Ian’s champion pigeon, Ian and his dad acquire a new racing pigeon with a prestigious pedigree. But the bird has a bad habit that prevents it from racing (flying on to the roof of the house, instead of into the coop), so the boys decide to use Ollie to frighten the pigeon into behaving properly before the big race. Ian relies on his Dad’s judgment, while learning that his new stepmother is actually pretty cool, and that his bully cousin Chad, who has to deal with his drunken father, has his own vulnerabilities. While the author doesn’t gloss over the danger, aside from the original pigeon’s death, all ends well. Although Natural Instinct resembles a beginning chapter book in length, Bechler sets her prose at a fairly advanced level, which will make it appealing to older readers. Hart’s fuzzy charcoal drawings provide a subtle enhancement to the story.
The breezy discussion of an unusual, appealing hobby keeps this problem novel from becoming overbearingly message-driven. (Fiction. 10-12)Pub Date: July 13, 2005
ISBN: 0-595-34355-4
Page Count: -
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: May 23, 2010
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Despite some nice moments of suspense and adventure, this underdeveloped novel is hampered by clunky prose, a sketchily...
Two friends embark on an adventure to save their family and their world in this Christian fantasy.
Noni and Beeheart, two adolescent Gomis, have lived their whole lives in the quiet village of Gratville in Inod, far away from the dangerous lands of Sur. Though there are rumors of an encroaching threat from the evil Surlis, stirrings of discord already exist between the small, peaceful Gomis and the larger, bureaucratic Krochits. People have started mysteriously disappearing, including Noni’s parents and Beeheart’s mother, but the friends aren’t moved to act until the Surli kidnap Beeheart’s sister, Ranni. To save her, the boys embark on a journey that takes them far from home, where they discover the truth of the nefarious plot: The Surli want to take Inod and its plentiful resources for themselves. Standing in the Surlis’ way are the just, godlike being Ameno and his followers, the only ones who can end the invasion for good. What started for Noni and Beeheart as a simple quest becomes a mission to save the world. Novelist Beutel (Flora’s Story, 2014) clearly found inspiration for this novel in the works of C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien. The setup of the epic journey and a number of action scenes (including pursuits, a capture and an escape) are strong. However, they are slightly derivative. Problems also arise in the novel’s unnatural dialogue (“A couple of years ago, my father disappeared mysteriously….This made me very sad, since he was the only parent I ever knew and we were very close”), flat characterization, and worldbuilding that piles on information but lacks imagination; for example, many fantastical creatures are barely altered from their real-world equivalents. There are also some uncomfortably stitched-in Christian elements, which appear as constant Biblical quotes and extended lectures, although the messages of love and responsibility are positive ones. The addition of a Jesus analogue in the all-powerful Ameno, though, creates story problems, as it becomes easy for readers to wonder why he doesn’t just fix everything with a wave of his hand.
Despite some nice moments of suspense and adventure, this underdeveloped novel is hampered by clunky prose, a sketchily drawn world and didactic religious lessons.Pub Date: Sept. 21, 2014
ISBN: 978-1490456126
Page Count: 306
Publisher: CreateSpace
Review Posted Online: Dec. 24, 2014
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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