Realistic, character-driven fantasy that manages to both sever limbs and warm the heart.
In this dark YA fantasy debut, teenage twins are swept up in a prince’s quest for a legendary blade.
Seventeen-year-old twins Noraya and Owen Smith, the adopted children of a blacksmith named Rannoch, have left their home at the Ridge to cross the Plains. Owen dreams of becoming a pilgrim—a scholarly nomad—while Nora simply wants to escape the path of marriage, children, and boredom. With three weeks of travel ahead and winter approaching, they venture forth and soon meet Master Telen Diaz, a half-wight pilgrim with all-black eyes, who’s escorting the exiled Prince Bashan, the seeker of the Living Blade. Bashan, by using a sword that can “meld with its wielder to unleash a power so great it can change the course of the world,” hopes to take the throne back from his half sister. The Kandarin Empire, meanwhile, is overrun by marauders, and the twins see from the road that the Ridge is burning. Owen continues on with the Hunted Company—which, aside from Diaz, is full of thieves and murderers—to the Temple of the Wind, and Nora returns home. She finds the Ridge a charred wasteland, with everyone she knows dead or enslaved. She always carries a knife that brings her a “Touch of iron” and a “Touch of home,” and, with it, she itches for vengeance. Author Whitecastle’s debut offers a rigorous critique of the mythic-quest fantasy trope, portraying Prince Bashan as a sleazy powermonger who’s willing to burn ancient libraries to get the knowledge he seeks. As the narrative gallops between blood-drenched battles and character-driven stretches, Whitecastle conservatively introduces magical elements, maintaining a grim realism throughout. The dialogue, particularly Nora’s, often seems to wink at modern readers, as when Diaz says that “Wights can endure extreme temperatures,” and Nora replies, “That explains why you’re always so hot.” The many genuinely romantic moments between Diaz and Nora are like breaks of blue sky amid the carnage, which aren’t easily found in this genre. The excellent pacing and organic plotting will bring audiences back for the sequel.
Realistic, character-driven fantasy that manages to both sever limbs and warm the heart.Pub Date: May 13, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-5330-8043-1
Page Count: 354
Publisher: CreateSpace
Review Posted Online: April 16, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2016
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
A compelling and skillfully written end to a thrilling fantasy series.
In the final book of Corland’s dark fantasy trilogy, a ragtag band works together to liberate a colony and dethrone tyrants.
A group of spies, thieves, and murderers, united by a common goal of ending the treacherous rule of King Joon of Yusan, regroup after a bloody battle claims the life of one of their own—the banished Yusanian prince, Euyn. However, there’s little time for Mikail, Aeri, Sora, and Royo to mourn. Bounty hunters and assassins are after them, in part because they now possess three of five legendary Relics of the Dragon Lord. Mikail, who’s just found out that he’s the last surviving member of a royal family, wields the Water Scepter of Wei, while Aeri, King Joon’s daughter, holds the Sands of Tim and the Golden Ring of Khitan. The remaining relics—the Flaming Sword of Gaya and the Immortal Crown—remain with King Joon, who’s desperate to have all five to wield a great deal more power. Meanwhile, the cruel Count Seok, who once indentured Sora, has usurped the throne of Yusan. The group has two goals: overthrow the king and liberate the Yusanian colony of Gaya—Mikail’s homeland—so that it can again be a thriving, independent realm. The relics are powerful tools in combat, but using them is adversely affecting Aeri and Mikail’s health. They need allies, but trusting strangers is a dangerous gamble. Corland’s final book in her Broken Blades trilogy is a relentlessly thrilling and action-packed dark fantasy featuring memorable characters, intense battle scenes, romance, and a satisfying conclusion. Alternately narrated by Aeri, Mikail, Sora, Royo, and their long-lost friend, Tiyung, readers benefit from watching the story unfold through the perspectives of each compelling, well-drawn character. The author’s passion for the fantasy genre shines through in the novel’s richly detailed worldbuilding, including vivid descriptions of landscapes and palace layouts, as well as its exploration of magic. Readers will also delight in the sardonic humor sprinkled throughout, as when Mikahil narrates, “Rune thinks he fathered Seok’s son. Truly, the nobility of Yusan has too much time on their hands.”
A compelling and skillfully written end to a thrilling fantasy series.Pub Date: July 15, 2025
ISBN: 9781649379153
Page Count: 512
Publisher: Entangled: Red Tower Books
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2025
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Read this for the action-packed plot, not character development or worldbuilding.
On the orders of her mother, a woman goes to dragon-riding school.
Even though her mother is a general in Navarre’s army, 20-year-old Violet Sorrengail was raised by her father to follow his path as a scribe. After his death, though, Violet's mother shocks her by forcing her to enter the elite and deadly dragon rider academy at Basgiath War College. Most students die at the War College: during training sessions, at the hands of their classmates, or by the very dragons they hope to one day be paired with. From Day One, Violet is targeted by her classmates, some because they hate her mother, others because they think she’s too physically frail to succeed. She must survive a daily gauntlet of physical challenges and the deadly attacks of classmates, which she does with the help of secret knowledge handed down by her two older siblings, who'd been students there before her. Violet is at the mercy of the plot rather than being in charge of it, hurtling through one obstacle after another. As a result, the story is action-packed and fast-paced, but Violet is a strange mix of pure competence and total passivity, always managing to come out on the winning side. The book is categorized as romantasy, with Violet pulled between the comforting love she feels from her childhood best friend, Dain Aetos, and the incendiary attraction she feels for family enemy Xaden Riorson. However, the way Dain constantly undermines Violet's abilities and his lack of character development make this an unconvincing storyline. The plots and subplots aren’t well-integrated, with the first half purely focused on Violet’s training, followed by a brief detour for romance, and then a final focus on outside threats.
Read this for the action-packed plot, not character development or worldbuilding.Pub Date: May 2, 2023
ISBN: 9781649374042
Page Count: 528
Publisher: Red Tower
Review Posted Online: Jan. 12, 2024
SEEN & HEARD
BOOK TO SCREEN
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