Exciting, but not outstanding.
Five young dragonets find themselves destined to fulfill a prophecy that will end the war between the dragons.
Six years ago, the underground group Talons of Peace, determined to make the end of the war a reality, stole, bought and borrowed five eggs and began raising the young dragons in secret. Gentle-hearted Clay, the MudWing; sassy Tsunami, the SeaWing; bookish Starflight, the NightWing; loyal Sunny, the SandWing; and shy Glory, the RainWing, are the Dragonets of Destiny. After six long years in seclusion with only their history lessons and combat training for occupation and their harried minders for company, the five young dragons yearn to see what life is like beyond the thick stone walls of their cave. Escaping their prison is only a vague fantasy until the original prophet arrives and threatens the life of one of the dragonets. The five flee, only to be captured almost immediately by a ruthless dragon queen. Fast-paced and detailed, this first installment in a new adventure series is entertaining if not terribly original. Adult dragons are all cast as untrustworthy, cruel and selfish; only the young dragonets seem to have any depth and complexity. While expected, violent battle scenes seem at odds with the story of peace and quest for home. Nevertheless, this first outing has all of the key ingredients for a successful formula-fantasy series: hierarchical social structure, destiny, attributive names and a map.
Exciting, but not outstanding. (dragon taxonomy) (Fantasy. 9-12)Pub Date: July 1, 2012
ISBN: 978-0-545-34918-5
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: May 8, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2012
A worthy combination of athletic action, the virtues of inner strength, and the importance of friendship.
A young tennis champion becomes the target of revenge.
In this sequel to Legacy and the Queen (2019), Legacy Petrin and her friends Javi and Pippa have returned to Legacy’s home province and the orphanage run by her father. With her friends’ help, she is in training to defend her championship when they discover that another player, operating under the protection of High Consul Silla, is presenting herself as Legacy. She is so convincing that the real Legacy is accused of being an imitation. False Legacy has become a hero to the masses, further strengthening Silla’s hold, and it becomes imperative to uncover and defeat her. If Legacy is to win again, she must play her imposter while disguised as someone else. Winning at tennis is not just about money and fame, but resisting Silla’s plans to send more young people into brutal mines with little hope of better lives. Legacy will have to overcome her fears and find the magic that allowed her to claim victory in the past. This story, with its elements of sports, fantasy, and social consciousness that highlight tensions between the powerful and those they prey upon, successfully continues the series conceived by late basketball superstar Bryant. As before, the tennis matches are depicted with pace and spirit. Legacy and Javi have brown skin; most other characters default to White.
A worthy combination of athletic action, the virtues of inner strength, and the importance of friendship. (Fantasy. 9-12)Pub Date: Aug. 24, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-949520-19-4
Page Count: 224
Publisher: Granity Studios
Review Posted Online: July 27, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2021
BOOK REVIEW
Thrills galore for gamers willing to go along for the ride.
A new virtual-reality theme park goes haywire on a crowd of young victims, er, visitors in Alexander’s latest screamfest.
Having scored one of just 100 coveted preview tickets to a cutting-edge, kids-only venue dubbed ESCAPE, budding amusement park fan and designer Cody Baxter is looking forward to a life-changing experience. What he gets is more of a life-threatening one, as games and rides with names like Triassic Terror and Haunted Hillside not only pit him against a monster and then zombies—or sometimes a monster and zombies—as well as ruthless competing players, but seem tailored to play on individual personal terrors. And, in some never explained way, the VR quickly turns into real battles that inflict real wounds even as the real settings shift with sudden, dizzying unpredictability. Teaming up with loyal new friends Jayson Torn and Inga Andersdottir, the former described as being Japanese and White and the latter as Norwegian, Cody (who seems to default to White) struggles for survival, learning ultimately that ESCAPE was created by an evil genius with an ulterior motive who is convinced that he can teach children a salutary lesson. The plot’s no more logical in its twists and contrivances than the premise, but the author’s knack for spinning out nightmarish situations is definitely on display here as the tale careens toward a properly lurid outcome.
Thrills galore for gamers willing to go along for the ride. (Light horror. 9-12)Pub Date: June 7, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-338-26047-2
Page Count: 240
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: March 15, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2022
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