An adventure fantasy held together by a complex, compelling protagonist.
Bow’s terrific debut YA novel takes readers into an action-packed fantasy world.
This first installment of a planned series follows Timothy, an ambitious but self-pitying teenager. He has some of a typical teenager’s problems, like not getting any respect from his father, but he is also haunted by the memory of Fenae, a girl he once loved who was killed, along with her family, by the occupying Huctan forces. Timothy is Botani, living under the subjugation of the Huctans, who have legalized alcohol after conquering Botan and killing most of the Botani people. Often plagued not only by doubt but by full-blown self-loathing, Timothy makes an atypical protagonist. Eventually, he gets the chance to become a Thane, a servant of Botan, someone who spends his life “learning how to keep secrets and control conversations.” But Thanes, despite being “big shots,” are very human, with all sorts of human foibles. (“He hadn’t expected Thanes to have a hard time waking up in the morning.”) This kind of humanity, both in the troubled protagonist and the flawed Thanes, gives the novel its energy and seems to set it apart from lesser fantasy stories. Bow has a gift for building a world that is at once instantly recognizable yet alien. The sense of place comes gradually, naturally, as readers are thrown into the story with little in the way of explanation; watching another world unfurl becomes one of the novel’s great pleasures. Sometimes, conversations play out in lengthy dialogue that could be summarized, and readers might be left wanting more descriptions, an occasional break from the fast pace. The story—to its benefit, much of the time—is like a runaway freight train, barreling forward and fun to read; perhaps, though, it would benefit from stopping occasionally to give readers the opportunity to see what is on either side of the tracks, so to speak. But overall, it’s a well-plotted, elegantly written book, and by the time readers get to the exciting finale, they’ll be anticipating the promised sequel.
An adventure fantasy held together by a complex, compelling protagonist.Pub Date: June 1, 2014
ISBN: 978-0-9914-6570-5
Page Count: 329
Publisher: Mask and Mallet Publishing
Review Posted Online: May 24, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2014
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
PERSPECTIVES
A sweet, soft conversation starter and a charming gift.
A paean to teachers and their surrogates everywhere.
This gentle ode to a teacher’s skill at inspiring, encouraging, and being a role model is spoken, presumably, from a child’s viewpoint. However, the voice could equally be that of an adult, because who can’t look back upon teachers or other early mentors who gave of themselves and offered their pupils so much? Indeed, some of the self-aware, self-assured expressions herein seem perhaps more realistic as uttered from one who’s already grown. Alternatively, readers won’t fail to note that this small book, illustrated with gentle soy-ink drawings and featuring an adult-child bear duo engaged in various sedentary and lively pursuits, could just as easily be about human parent- (or grandparent-) child pairs: some of the softly colored illustrations depict scenarios that are more likely to occur within a home and/or other family-oriented setting. Makes sense: aren’t parents and other close family members children’s first teachers? This duality suggests that the book might be best shared one-on-one between a nostalgic adult and a child who’s developed some self-confidence, having learned a thing or two from a parent, grandparent, older relative, or classroom instructor.
A sweet, soft conversation starter and a charming gift. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: March 1, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-943200-08-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Compendium
Review Posted Online: Dec. 13, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2017
Broccoli: No way is James going to eat broccoli. “It’s disgusting,” says James. Well then, James, says his father, let’s consider the alternatives: some wormy dirt, perhaps, some stinky socks, some pre-chewed gum? James reconsiders the broccoli, but—milk? “Blech,” says James. Right, says his father, who needs strong bones? You’ll be great at hide-and-seek, though not so great at baseball and kickball and even tickling the dog’s belly. James takes a mouthful. So it goes through lumpy oatmeal, mushroom lasagna and slimy eggs, with James’ father parrying his son’s every picky thrust. And it is fun, because the father’s retorts are so outlandish: the lasagna-making troll in the basement who will be sent back to the rat circus, there to endure the rodent’s vicious bites; the uneaten oatmeal that will grow and grow and probably devour the dog that the boy won’t be able to tickle any longer since his bones are so rubbery. Schneider’s watercolors catch the mood of gentle ribbing, the looks of bewilderment and surrender and the deadpanned malarkey. It all makes James’ father’s last urging—“I was just going to say that you might like them if you tried them”—wholly fresh and unexpected advice. (Early reader. 5-9)
Pub Date: May 1, 2011
ISBN: 978-0-547-14956-1
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Clarion Books
Review Posted Online: April 4, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2011
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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