An undeniably imaginative story in need of more cohesive execution.
Knights-in-training Caedmon Tuggle and Ellie Bettlebump return in this follow-up to 2022’s The Witch, the Sword, and the Cursed Knights.
Good friends Caedmon, 13, and Ellie, nearly 13, have been given their first quest: to protect a royal wedding. But when banished monsters break through the protective spells and Princess Lorelei, another friend and knight-in-training, erupts in unregistered witch magic, Ellie takes the fall. At her trial, a frustrated Ellie is fitted with a permanent collar that mutes her magic. She later discovers she has dangerous Chaos magic inside her. Ellie meets with the sorcerer Malgwyn, to whom she owes a blood debt, and he tells her to steal the sword Excalibur, which he can use to obtain “the jewel from the belly of the beast.” Meanwhile, Caedmon is charged by the wizard Merlin to bring Lancelot back into the Knights of the Round Table, while Lancelot himself is after the same jewel. So begins the setup of this ambitious fantasy, which strives to pit the two friends against each other. There is imagination galore here, not to mention an abundance of mythical and legendary characters and a meaningful theme of loyalty to one’s friends. However, the story needs a stronger foundation to support and strengthen the fundamentals of the plot, which include a dizzying number of ideas, tenuous connections, and conveniently timed appearances.
An undeniably imaginative story in need of more cohesive execution. (map, list of realms) (Fantasy. 9-13)Pub Date: Sept. 12, 2023
ISBN: 9780316523509
Page Count: 432
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: July 13, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2023
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A pleasing premise for book lovers.
A fantasy-loving bookworm makes a wonderful, terrible bargain.
When sixth grader Poppy Woodlock’s historic preservationist parents move the family to the Oregon coast to work on the titular stately home, Poppy’s sure she’ll find magic. Indeed, the exiled water nymph in the manor’s ruined swimming pool grants a wish, but: “Magic isn’t free. It cosssts.” The price? Poppy’s favorite book, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. In return she receives Sampson, a winged lion cub who is everything Poppy could have hoped for. But she soon learns that the nymph didn’t take just her own physical book—she erased Narnia from Poppy’s world. And it’s just the first loss: Soon, Poppy’s grandmother’s journal’s gone, then The Odyssey, and more. The loss is heartbreaking, but Sampson’s a wonderful companion, particularly as Poppy’s finding middle school a tough adjustment. Hartman’s premise is beguiling—plenty of readers will identify with Poppy, both as a fellow bibliophile and as a kid struggling to adapt. Poppy’s repeatedly expressed faith that unveiling Sampson will bring some sort of vindication wears thin, but that does not detract from the central drama. It’s a pity that the named real-world books Poppy reads are notably lacking in diversity; a story about the power of literature so limited in imagination lets both itself and readers down. Main characters are cued White; there is racial diversity in the supporting cast. Chapters open with atmospheric spot art. (This review has been updated to reflect the final illustrations.)
A pleasing premise for book lovers. (Fantasy. 9-12)Pub Date: May 2, 2023
ISBN: 9780316448222
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: Feb. 24, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2023
Rich and strange (and kitted out with an eye-catching cover), but stronger in the set pieces than the internal logic.
Chainani works an elaborate sea change akin to Gregory Maguire’s Wicked (1995), though he leaves the waters muddied.
Every four years, two children, one regarded as particularly nice and the other particularly nasty, are snatched from the village of Gavaldon by the shadowy School Master to attend the divided titular school. Those who survive to graduate become major or minor characters in fairy tales. When it happens to sweet, Disney princess–like Sophie and her friend Agatha, plain of features, sour of disposition and low of self-esteem, they are both horrified to discover that they’ve been dropped not where they expect but at Evil and at Good respectively. Gradually—too gradually, as the author strings out hundreds of pages of Hogwarts-style pranks, classroom mishaps and competitions both academic and romantic—it becomes clear that the placement wasn’t a mistake at all. Growing into their true natures amid revelations and marked physical changes, the two spark escalating rivalry between the wings of the school. This leads up to a vicious climactic fight that sees Good and Evil repeatedly switching sides. At this point, readers are likely to feel suddenly left behind, as, thanks to summary deus ex machina resolutions, everything turns out swell(ish).
Rich and strange (and kitted out with an eye-catching cover), but stronger in the set pieces than the internal logic. (Fantasy. 11-13)Pub Date: May 14, 2013
ISBN: 978-0-06-210489-2
Page Count: 496
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Feb. 12, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2013
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