Series fans will be pleased by the continuing saga of conflicted love amid devastation.
Isla Crown’s world trembles on the brink of destruction even as she struggles to find a way to save it without killing either of the men she loves—Oro, the king of Lightlark, and Grim, the ruler of Nightshade—as a prophecy predicts.
Threatened on the one hand by wildly destructive storms of mysterious origin and on the other by an unkillable Wildling who’s commanding armies of the dead, Isla and her shadow-wielding lover, Grim, nonetheless find time for both a second wedding and plenty of steamy scenes in this follow-up to 2023’s Nightbane. Catering to fans who like their fantasies literally awash in gore, Aster has Isla at one point falling into a deep pool of blood—as well as carving power-enhancing sigils into her own body, decapitating an assassin, and personally cutting the hearts out of multiple rapists and other bad actors in order to pay an augur for glimpses of her seemingly inevitable doom. Though Isla’s other heartthrob, Oro, just gets a supporting role this time through, Isla does acquire a dragon to ride into battle, along with even mightier magic that she’s ready to unleash. The love triangle’s intense sparks give the wholesale slaughter a run for its money on the way to a game- and locale-changing climactic twist. Isla and Grim have pale skin and dark hair; Oro has amber eyes and golden hair.
Series fans will be pleased by the continuing saga of conflicted love amid devastation. (Fantasy. 14-18)Pub Date: Nov. 12, 2024
ISBN: 9781419773785
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Amulet/Abrams
Review Posted Online: Sept. 28, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2024
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
There’s not much plot here, but readers will relish the opportunity to climb inside Autumn’s head.
The finely drawn characters capture readers’ attention in this debut.
Autumn and Phineas, nicknamed Finny, were born a week apart; their mothers are still best friends. Growing up, Autumn and Finny were like peas in a pod despite their differences: Autumn is “quirky and odd,” while Finny is “sweet and shy and everyone like[s] him.” But in eighth grade, Autumn and Finny stop being friends due to an unexpected kiss. They drift apart and find new friends, but their friendship keeps asserting itself at parties, shared holiday gatherings and random encounters. In the summer after graduation, Autumn and Finny reconnect and are finally ready to be more than friends. But on August 8, everything changes, and Autumn has to rely on all her strength to move on. Autumn’s coming-of-age is sensitively chronicled, with a wide range of experiences and events shaping her character. Even secondary characters are well-rounded, with their own histories and motivations.
There’s not much plot here, but readers will relish the opportunity to climb inside Autumn’s head. (Fiction. 14 & up)Pub Date: April 1, 2013
ISBN: 978-1-4022-7782-5
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Review Posted Online: Feb. 12, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2013
BOOK REVIEW
SEEN & HEARD
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