Part heist, part meditation on sacrifice, love, and ambition: a riveting coming-of-age tale.
Royal twins Izaveta, raised to become queen, and Asya, who physically embodies the spirit and power of the mythical Firebird, fight to find their ways back to one another after a major betrayal.
Picking up mere days after the explosive events of These Feathered Flames (2021), this duology closer finds Asya desperate to believe that Izaveta survived the Firebird’s price. She places her faith in visiting scholar Nikov, her sister’s one-time confidant, whose research on the Slavic folklore–inspired Firebird’s magic hints at forgotten truths that could reshape the world. But Asya, unmoored at court without her politically savvy sister, is caught between various courtiers’ attempts to fill the currently unoccupied throne through a trial of succession. Brusque, principled Cmdr. Iveshkin, who uses sign language, nominates Asya for the queendom, while disgraced noble Gen. Azarov attempts to leverage the Firebird’s influence in his favor by imprisoning and threatening to execute Asya’s love interest, Yuliana. Meanwhile, a disturbing, ancient power is reemerging, and Izaveta is trapped in its crosshairs. As the twins reevaluate their relationships to the privileges granted by their birthright, they attempt to dismantle toxic dynamics embedded in their national history as well as their own bloodline. The sisters’ alternating voices maintain suspenseful pacing to gradually reveal the true scope—and stakes—of a bitter fight to protect their land and its people from a terrible fate. A White default is assumed.
Part heist, part meditation on sacrifice, love, and ambition: a riveting coming-of-age tale. (map) (Fantasy. 12-18)Pub Date: Dec. 6, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-335-41868-5
Page Count: 496
Publisher: Inkyard Press
Review Posted Online: Dec. 23, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2023
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
An ode to the children of migrants who have been taken away.
A Mexican American boy takes on heavy responsibilities when his family is torn apart.
Mateo’s life is turned upside down the day U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents show up unsuccessfully seeking his Pa at his New York City bodega. The Garcias live in fear until the day both parents are picked up; his Pa is taken to jail and his Ma to a detention center. The adults around Mateo offer support to him and his 7-year-old sister, Sophie, however, he knows he is now responsible for caring for her and the bodega as well as trying to survive junior year—that is, if he wants to fulfill his dream to enter the drama program at the Tisch School of the Arts and become an actor. Mateo’s relationships with his friends Kimmie and Adam (a potential love interest) also suffer repercussions as he keeps his situation a secret. Kimmie is half Korean (her other half is unspecified) and Adam is Italian American; Mateo feels disconnected from them, less American, and with worries they can’t understand. He talks himself out of choosing a safer course of action, a decision that deepens the story. Mateo’s self-awareness and inner monologue at times make him seem older than 16, and, with significant turmoil in the main plot, some side elements feel underdeveloped. Aleman’s narrative joins the ranks of heart-wrenching stories of migrant families who have been separated.
An ode to the children of migrants who have been taken away. (Fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: May 4, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-7595-5605-8
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: Feb. 22, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2021
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A magical story with a classic Disney feel exploring love, friendship, and leading amid hardship.
Shortly before the new queen’s coronation, a monster wreaks havoc, forcing a young fairy princess to intervene at her own risk.
In Pixie Hollow, the Never Fairies of Spring, Summer, and Autumn work to create seasons for the humans on the Mainland, while the fairies of Winter remain apart in the Winter Woods. Clarion, a governing-talent fairy who’s soon to take over as queen of Pixie Hollow, often looks wonderingly at the Winter Woods. But crossing the border is against the rules set forth by her mentor, Queen Elvina. When a monster from Winter breaks free and enters Spring, Clarion bristles at Elvina’s dismissal. Determined to be involved, she secretly travels to Winter, meets with Milori, the Warden of the Winter Woods, and learns that the land is nothing like what she’s heard, making her wonder what else the queen has been untruthful about. Together Milori and Clarion work to discover the secrets of Pixie Hollow, which may save them—or lead to death. Set in a magical place of flowers and pixie dust, this story considers the control we have over the roles we’re assigned. Clarion is a beautifully complex character—strong yet insecure, lovable due to her willingness to prioritize relationships over rules. Themes of fear, forbidden love, and good vs. evil are present in this fast-paced, engaging tale. Main characters are cued white.
A magical story with a classic Disney feel exploring love, friendship, and leading amid hardship. (Fantasy. 12-18)Pub Date: Feb. 4, 2025
ISBN: 9781368098458
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Disney Press
Review Posted Online: Oct. 26, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2024
© Copyright 2025 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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