A satisfying fantasy with an indelible cast.
In this debut YA fantasy, a teenager inherits a sword and begins a new life fighting monsters.
Emily Lau wants to be a hero, the kind that she reads about in the books she peruses whenever there’s an extra moment in class. But the closest the high school freshman gets to combat is in her karate lessons at the local dojo. One day, her favorite aunt, Elaine, shows up to take Emily to her lesson and insists on sparring with her—a highly irregular occurrence. Afterward, Elaine gives Emily a gift: a silver ring. The ring is engraved with a plum blossom, the symbol of perseverance and hope. But it’s not just any ring, as Emily learns soon after putting it on: “Emily twisted her hand and closed it on the empty air. Then her hand was full. A weight pulled her arm down and Emily couldn’t believe her eyes. There, in her hand, was a sword.” It turns out that Emily is descended from a long line of warriors who protect humanity from monsters and pass the sword to a successor. Elaine has chosen Emily and will now train her in the martial arts. Emily’s other trainer will be the sword itself, Meihua, whose female spirit speaks to the teen telepathically, becoming an omnipresent mentor and guide. She’s nice to have as company, especially since Emily can’t tell any of her friends about her new role as a magical warrior. Emily’s selection as successor is not without controversy, though, and strange new relatives appear to challenge her for Meihua. Additionally, the monsters she’s meant to fight turn out to be quite a bit scarier—and trickier—than the ones in her fantasy novels. Does Emily really have what it takes to wield the ancient sword against the forces of darkness? Or is she already in over her head?
Stone’s fluid prose expands to fit the needs of the story. He can write chatty high school scenes as easily as he can describe the fearsome, metamorphosing monsters that Emily is forced to fight: “Its golden yellow eyes began to glow in the night. The coyote’s body shuddered, and then impossibly, it began to grow. It grew and grew until it was the size of a horse. It scowled down at the two of them with malice in its golden eyes and let out another howl.” The basic plot—a regular teen finds out that she has a preordained magical purpose—will be familiar to YA readers, and Stone does not do much to break the mold besides adding a martial arts element. Though the author isn’t interested in reinventing the wheel, he provides a wholly enjoyable work for fans of the genre. He doesn’t take his mythology so seriously that there isn’t room for humor, and the supporting characters are often surprising and memorable. The plot moves quickly, and the novel’s 300-plus pages breeze by. If Emily and Meihua return for further adventures in the future, there will be an audience waiting to read them.
A satisfying fantasy with an indelible cast.Pub Date: Oct. 12, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-73772-120-8
Page Count: 306
Publisher: Written in Stone Publishing
Review Posted Online: July 8, 2022
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
A spectacular return to a magical world.
Following the events of Impossible Creatures (2024), a devoted Guardian teams up with a brave princess to fight her power-hungry uncle and save the Archipelago’s dragons from a strange new threat.
Jacques the dragon summons Christopher Forrester back to the Archipelago from the human world: Dragons are dying, and no one knows why. Meanwhile, on the island of Dousha, Princess Anya’s grandfather, King Halam, has been murdered, and her father accused—though she knows he’s innocent. When Christopher and Anya take refuge on the islet of Glimt, the Berserker Nighthand helps them see how their twin missions to save the dragons and free Anya’s father are connected. They work together to create an antidote for the poison that’s killing the dragons and to keep Anya and her father safe from her murderous uncle. Meanwhile, Nighthand and Irian, the part-nereid ocean scholar, pursue their own important secret mission. Divided into three parts—“Castle,” “Dragons,” and “Revenge”—and containing elements of fairy tales, fantasy, and Shakespeare, this story continues the storyline established in the series opener, yet because it introduces new characters and obstacles, it could also stand alone. Dark-blond Anya (“five feet tall and all of it claws”) is a match for white-presenting Christopher, who, though he still misses Mal, finds that “it made a difference to have someone to move through the world with again. A friend changed the feel of the universe.” Mackenzie’s delicate, otherworldly art adorns the text.
A spectacular return to a magical world. (map, bestiary) (Fantasy. 10-15)Pub Date: Sept. 11, 2025
ISBN: 9780593809907
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Knopf
Review Posted Online: May 30, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2025
PROFILES
A lackluster and sometimes disturbing mishmash of overused tropes.
The Plague has left a population divided between Elites and Ordinaries—those who have powers and those who don’t; now, an Ordinary teen fights for her life.
Paedyn Gray witnessed the king kill her father five years ago, and she’s been thieving and sleeping rough ever since, all while faking Psychic abilities. When she inadvertently saves the life of Prince Kai, she becomes embroiled in the Purging Trials, a competition to commemorate the sickness that killed most of the kingdom’s Ordinaries. Kai’s duties as the future Enforcer include eradicating any remaining Ordinaries, and these Trials are his chance to prove that he’s internalized his brutal training. But Kai can’t help but find Pae’s blue eyes, silver hair, and unabashed attitude enchanting. She likewise struggles to resist his stormy gray eyes, dark hair, and rakish behavior, even as they’re pitted against each other in the Trials and by the king himself. Scenes and concepts that are strongly reminiscent of the Hunger Games fall flat: They aren’t bolstered by the original’s heart or worldbuilding logic that would have justified a few extreme story elements. Illogical leaps and inconsistent characterizations abound, with lighthearted romantic interludes juxtaposed against genocide, child abuse, and sadism. These elements, which are not sufficiently addressed, combined with the use of ableist language, cannot be erased by any amount of romantic banter. Main characters are cued white; the supporting cast has some brown-skinned characters.
A lackluster and sometimes disturbing mishmash of overused tropes. (map) (Fantasy. 14-18)Pub Date: Nov. 7, 2023
ISBN: 9798987380406
Page Count: 538
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Sept. 9, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2023
© Copyright 2025 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
