A full-bodied YA escapade about an adventurer searching for a cause that adult readers will enjoy as much as teens.
In this YA fantasy series starter, loosely based on Norse mythology, an orphan receives answers to her questions about who she is—but doesn’t like everything she discovers.
Warner tells the story of stable girl Sigrid,who lives in the kingdom of Vanaheim. Sigrid’s constant companion is her speedy horse, Hestur, but she dreams of becoming one of the junior valkyries, who look down on her as she attends to their steeds—which, unlike hers, have wings. Sigrid gets a chance to showcase her abilities when Night Elves and a group of enemy valkyries attack Vanaheim and steal a magical relic called the Eye of Hnitbjorg. Sigrid battles with valkyrie Mariam, which leads to the accidental death of Mariam’s horse, Aesa. During their struggle, Sigrid grabs the Eye and momentarily views her own fate, seeing herself in the hellish underworld of Helheim, leading the valkyries and riding Odin’s eight-legged steed, Sleipnir. To fulfill her destiny, Sigrid frees the captive Mariam and persuades her to lead her to Helheim, whose queen possesses Sleipnir. Along the way, they add an ally: a Night Elf runt named Fisk. Sigrid gets answers about her heritage on her quest and must decide how best to use her newfound information and power to protect her people. Warner, who admits in her author’s note that she found a scarcity of information about some aspects of Viking society, deserves credit for creating an inclusive world, including a budding romantic relationship between Sigrid and Mariam. Sigrid is an admirable protagonist, remaining grounded even as she attempts to improve her station in life; her compatriots Mariam and Fisk also seek better lives and to escape difficult situations. Warner also makes the most of the Norse landscape, colorfully describing each of the various sections that the trio visits. The book feels lengthy at more than 400 pages, but, to be fair, it takes time to travel through nine different realms, and it all results in a colorful adventure.
A full-bodied YA escapade about an adventurer searching for a cause that adult readers will enjoy as much as teens.Pub Date: July 26, 2022
ISBN: 978-1649371485
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Entangled Teen
Review Posted Online: May 11, 2022
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
Enticing and original.
Abandoned by her sisters, Io Ora must trust Bianca—former mob queen, now dying wraith—to help her find the hidden gods and end them forever in this duology closer that follows Threads That Bind (2023).
Io and Bianca cross mudflats that harbor deadly chimerini and dodge the violent, unpredictable tides that flood the Wastelands, where humans have struggled to survive ever since the Collapse shattered the moon into three pieces. The youngest of the Moirae-born (sisters with Fates-like powers), Io is able to see the threads governing every human fate in the Quilt. She can end a life simply by cutting another’s life-thread, but the cost is high: Each time, she must sever one of her own 35 threads. As Bianca traverses anarchic wastes and dangerous urban slums ruled by powerful gangs on the way to their destination, the teeming city-nation of Nanzy, she weakens but pushes on. Despite setbacks and betrayals, the two discover unexpected allies willing to risk their lives to confront the gods. Io’s personal evolution, like the Moirae’s silver threads, is woven seamlessly into the complicated plot. While her romance with Edei is satisfying, the story’s emotional driver is the sisters’ difficult history of loss, longing, pain, and betrayal; each bears scars from their old, set-in-stone rivalries. Io’s world has an epic thematic scope and an intricately imagined setting. The characters are diverse in appearance, gender identity, and sexual orientation.
Enticing and original. (Fantasy. 14-18)Pub Date: June 18, 2024
ISBN: 9780593528747
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Razorbill/Penguin
Review Posted Online: March 23, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
A twisty tale of nightmares, secrets, and curses that readers won’t soon forget.
A teen seeks revenge in a land of dreams and nightmares.
In the town of Hereswith, beneath the cursed Seren Mountains, Clementine and her father, the warden, record the townsfolk’s dreams and confront the walking nightmares that appear every new moon. Clem, the opposite of her cautious father, is a headstrong apprentice eager to explore the limits of her magic. When two young magicians appear before the new moon to challenge her father for wardenship of Hereswith, Clem’s entire world is ripped apart. Seeking revenge, Clem discovers old family secrets and uncovers the truth behind the century-old Seren curse. The worldbuilding is well rounded, incorporating history, politics, and economics as well as an original and detailed magic system that is expertly woven into the plot and mythology. Similarly, discussions of creativity, both in art and in magic, add an extra layer of interest. The themes of recognizing one’s true self, controlling one’s emotions, the importance of family and home, and lies versus truth are well developed within Clem’s overarching quest for vengeance. While the curse originally appears straightforward, its unveiled complexity is pleasantly surprising. A slow-burning romance primarily emphasizes character development. The main characters are White; there is an interracial lesbian couple in the supporting cast.
A twisty tale of nightmares, secrets, and curses that readers won’t soon forget. (map) (Fantasy. 13-18)Pub Date: Nov. 2, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-06-301592-0
Page Count: 496
Publisher: Quill Tree Books/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Sept. 14, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2021
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