Fans of intricately crafted fantasy universes will find plenty to explore in this action-packed saga.
In More’s debut YA novel—set in an alternate universe—a young woman desires to become the first female warrior of her tribe.
Sakima Tamanend is a 17-year-old living on Mannahatta, the island of the Lenape people (similarities to peoples and places in our world are absolutely intentional). She’s determined to prove herself as the first female warrior in her people’s history but doesn’t quite know how. Sakima spies her brother-in-law, Machto, entering a strange building on the outskirts of her village. Inside, she discovers that Machto has kidnapped her younger sister, Tangetta, and fled through a portal into the “Land Below.” Sakima dives in after them only to find herself in a strange land called “New York City,” a place lacking the technological advances she’s accustomed to. As Sakima hunts down Machto in an attempt to rescue her sister, she realizes that her brother-in-law has unleashed a horrific mythological creature on the world; she will need to draw upon the Lenape spirits if she has any hope of defeating it. Along the way, she meets Mike “Blue” Biehn, MJ Tiptree, and Charles “Chuck” Benbova, a group of New York teenagers who decide to help their unusual new friend. More cleverly combines futuristic technology with Native American imagery in descriptions of Mannahatta: “[She smelled] artificial excrement from the digestive tracks of sisilieyòk, mechBison [sic]. In the past, this included metal shavings from operational gears and levers…migrating to the digestive tracks of the beasts.” The novel contains some harsh language (“damn ugly bitch!”), and the dialogue can feel jarringly modern in some contexts (“Mom, seriously! It’s nothing like that”), but these quibbles pale in comparison to the dazzling details that More gives to his universe.
Fans of intricately crafted fantasy universes will find plenty to explore in this action-packed saga.Pub Date: Jan. 6, 2023
ISBN: 9781942947240
Page Count: 480
Publisher: Mannahatta Press
Review Posted Online: Aug. 18, 2023
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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
A sweet if muddled tale of the magic of Appalachia.
A teenage witch goes up against the evil king of the mountain to save a cursed village.
Witch-in-training Verity Vox has spent a year apiece in different villages, helping in any way she can as she learns her art. When it’s time to move on, she receives a sign that shows her where to go next. When the latest sign appears in the form of a note begging for help that floats down on a leaf, she’s eager for the challenge. Verity winds up in Foxfire, a village in the Appalachian mountains that’s been magically cut off from the rest of the world for years, leaving its people close to starvation. The root of their suffering is a man they know as Earl, who lives in the hills and strikes deals with the townspeople that ultimately cause crops to wither, folks to disappear, and the only bridge out of the valley to crumble. Verity is determined to change the villagers’ fortunes, but to do so she’ll have to face off against not just Earl but the ancient power of the mountains itself. Loosely based on the Germanic Erlking legend and told in a voice reminiscent of folktales, the story features a queer romance and a cast that presents white. The convoluted magic system undercuts the strong themes of reciprocity, poverty, and privilege, but Appalachian readers will instantly recognize home.
A sweet if muddled tale of the magic of Appalachia. (Fantasy. 13-18)Pub Date: Aug. 5, 2025
ISBN: 9798890032706
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Page Street
Review Posted Online: May 30, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2025
SEEN & HEARD
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