by Wendy Delsol ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 11, 2012
The whole trilogy stands out for originality and great entertainment.
The Stork trilogy ends in a whirlwind of Norse mythology as Katla tries to escape the deal she made in volume two.
Frost (2011) saw Kat battling the Snow Queen to save her boyfriend, Jack, who has paranormal powers as Jack Frost. Kat has her stork powers, but she runs afoul of the other storks when she takes things into her own hands. Meanwhile, two characters she met in Iceland, Jinky, the rough-cut shaman-in-training, and charismatic Marik, actually a selkie in disguise as a human, show up as new students in her high school. Marik reminds her that she promised her newborn sister Leira to the court of the Norse gods as payment for the opportunity to rescue Jack. Now Kat has to find a way to save Leira without angering two Norse goddesses so much that they’ll bring the entire world to an end. Yes, it sounds too over-the-top, but Delsol makes it all work with Kat’s spunky personality, plenty of dry, hip wisecracks (“Jinky shook her head, demonstrating the possible origins of the headbangers brand of dance style”), friendships, rivalries, a little romance and lots of suspense. Readers will care about each character with their distinct personalities, often quirky but acceptable as real humans. The prose trips along, always entertaining, until the story just zooms, even though this plot becomes a bit complex. Best read with the previous two books, the series ends with an unforeseen but rather satisfying surprise. Although Katla’s story may be over, readers will certainly look for more from this talented writer.
The whole trilogy stands out for originality and great entertainment. (Paranormal adventure. 12 & up)Pub Date: Sept. 11, 2012
ISBN: 978-0-7636-6010-9
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Candlewick
Review Posted Online: June 12, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2012
Share your opinion of this book
by Rebecca Ross ‧ RELEASE DATE: Dec. 26, 2023
The well-paced romantic tension is a highlight of this enjoyable duology closer.
Even a war driven by gods can’t sever communication between journalist lovers Iris and Roman in this steampunk-adjacent romantic adventure.
A prologue sets the scene: Dacre, a god strummed to sleep by magic in Divine Rivals (2023), will not slumber forever. His willingness to wage war to acquire more powerful magic leads him to lay waste to entire towns, and Inkridden Tribune journalist Iris Winnow and war correspondent Roman Kitt can no longer be assured the other is safe—or even still alive. In Iris’ world of cigarette smoke, copper pipes, and driving goggles, colleagues affectionately call each other by their last names, watch each other’s backs, and face danger on the front lines. Though Underling Correspondent Roman is traveling with Dacre’s army, he questions why he was healed of his grievous wounds, while at the same time, he gradually recovers memories of Iris and recalls that she was special to him. Their magically connected typewriters allow for the rediscovery of their love and for communicating potentially deadly information about the invasion of Hawk Shire. The story primarily unfolds from Iris’ and Roman’s viewpoints, and while the prose occasionally uses well-worn phrases, Anglophiles will particularly enjoy the worldbuilding, and returning readers will welcome appearances from Capt. Keegan Torres; her wife, Marisol; and Dacre’s archnemesis—and wife—the goddess Enva. Main characters present white.
The well-paced romantic tension is a highlight of this enjoyable duology closer. (Fantasy. 14-18)Pub Date: Dec. 26, 2023
ISBN: 9781250857453
Page Count: 432
Publisher: Wednesday Books
Review Posted Online: Feb. 17, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2024
Share your opinion of this book
More by Rebecca Ross
BOOK REVIEW
by Rebecca Ross
BOOK REVIEW
by Rebecca Ross
BOOK REVIEW
by Rebecca Ross
by Tomi Oyemakinde ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 26, 2023
A descriptive and atmospheric paranormal social thriller that could be a bit tighter.
After a Nigerian British girl goes off to an exclusive boarding school that seems to prey on less-privileged students, she discovers there might be some truth behind an urban legend.
Ife Adebola joins the Urban Achievers scholarship program at pricey, high-pressure Nithercott School, arriving shortly after a student called Leon mysteriously disappeared. Gossip says he’s a victim of the glowing-eyed Changing Man who targets the lonely, leaving them changed. Ife doesn’t believe in the myth, but amid the stresses of Nithercott’s competitive, privileged, majority-white environment, where she is constantly reminded of her state school background, she does miss her friends and family. When Malika, a fellow Black scholarship student, disappears and then returns, acting strangely devoid of personality, Ife worries the Changing Man is real—and that she’s next. Ife joins forces with classmate Bijal and Benny, Leon’s younger brother, to uncover the truth about who the Changing Man is and what he wants. Culminating in a detailed, gory, and extended climactic battle, this verbose thriller tempts readers with a nefarious mystery involving racial and class-based violence but never quite lives up to its potential and peters out thematically by its explosive finale. However, this debut offers highly visually evocative and eerie descriptions of characters and events and will appeal to fans of creature horror, social commentary, and dark academia.
A descriptive and atmospheric paranormal social thriller that could be a bit tighter. (Thriller. 14-18)Pub Date: Sept. 26, 2023
ISBN: 9781250868138
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Review Posted Online: June 8, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2023
Share your opinion of this book
© Copyright 2024 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Hey there, book lover.
We’re glad you found a book that interests you!
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.
Don’t fret. We’ll find you.