A poignant, gripping conclusion.
The end of Krypton is nigh.
Having cracked Jor-El and Lara’s uber-encrypted data, Sera and Zahn discover the horrific truth: Krypton will soon face its demise. On cue, harsher, stronger quakes start to hit the planet. With his newfound knowledge, Zahn finally breaks free of his upper-caste restrictions. But other plots are afoot. Midnight—the insurgent group led by Gen. Zod—plans to sabotage Krypton’s amniosis grid and bring the reigning tribunes to their knees. Unaware of Krypton’s imminent destruction, Gen. Zod schemes to leverage the deathly chaos stirred by Midnight to shore up power in hopes of promising an unattainable future for the planet. Upon uncovering the extent of Zod’s objective, Sera resolves to disrupt her former commander’s coup efforts even if it may cost her any remaining minutes with Zahn. As Krypton crumbles, Kal-El (“the last son of Krypton”) is finally born. As Jor-El and Lara prepare to secure Kal-El’s future via an escape ship, Zahn scrambles for a way to spare Sera, himself, and their blossoming love from Krypton’s fate. In this trilogy closer, Gray and Zawadzki successfully establish Sera and Zahn as a pair of doomed young lovers thanks to the considerable character development featured in the previous two volumes. The action sequences hit harder as a result, and quieter moments between Zahn and Sera accentuate the unbearable, inevitable end that Kryptonians will confront—apart from Kal-El, of course.
A poignant, gripping conclusion. (Graphic science fiction. 13-17)Pub Date: Feb. 7, 2023
ISBN: 9781401296094
Page Count: 208
Publisher: DC
Review Posted Online: March 13, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2023
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Full of drama, emotional turmoil, and high stakes.
What happens to the world after the dust from a revolution has settled?
Friends Annie and Lee were children from very different circles when Atreus killed Lee’s father, dragonlord Leon Stormscourge, ending the uprising on the bloodiest day in Callipolis’ history. For too long the dragonriders held all the power while their people starved and lived in fear. Nine years later, a new generation of dragonriders is emerging, children selected and trained on merit, not bloodlines. Their dragons are finally mature enough for them to compete for Firstrider, a position of power that can give Lee back a small part of what his family lost. However, not only is Lee competing against Annie, but rumors are circulating that some of the royal family have survived and have dragons of their own. Everyone will have to make a choice: Restore the old regime, support the First Protector and the new caste system he created, or look for a new way, no matter what the cost. From the beginning, this book pulls readers in with political intrigue and action. What keeps them invested, however, are the complex relationships between many cast members. Choices are complex, and the consequences for all could be deadly. The world is well fleshed out and believable. Annie and Lee are light skinned; secondary characters are diverse, and race is a nonissue in this world.
Full of drama, emotional turmoil, and high stakes. (author’s note) (Fantasy.14-17)Pub Date: Oct. 15, 2019
ISBN: 978-0-525-51821-1
Page Count: 448
Publisher: Putnam
Review Posted Online: July 23, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2019
Bound to be popular.
A suddenly trendy trope—conflict and romance between members of conquering and enslaved races—enlivened by fantasy elements loosely drawn from Arabic tradition (another trend!).
In an original, well-constructed fantasy world (barring some lazy naming), the Scholars have lived under Martial rule for 500 years, downtrodden and in many cases enslaved. Scholar Laia has spent a lifetime hiding her connection to the Resistance—her parents were its leaders—but when her grandparents are killed and her brother’s captured by Masks, the eerie, silver-faced elite soldiers of the Martial Empire, Laia must go undercover as a slave to the terrifying Commandant of Blackcliff Military Academy, where Martials are trained for battle. Meanwhile, Elias, the Commandant’s not-at-all-beloved son, wants to run away from Blackcliff, until he is named an Aspirant for the throne by the mysterious red-eyed Augurs. Predictably, action, intrigue, bloodshed and some pounding pulses follow; there’s betrayal and a potential love triangle or two as well. Sometimes-lackluster prose and a slight overreliance on certain kinds of sexual violence as a threat only slightly diminish the appeal created by familiar (but not predictable) characters and a truly engaging if not fully fleshed-out fantasy world.
Bound to be popular. (Fantasy. 13 & up)Pub Date: April 28, 2015
ISBN: 978-1-59514-803-2
Page Count: 464
Publisher: Razorbill/Penguin
Review Posted Online: Jan. 9, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2015
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
© Copyright 2024 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.
bookshelf
