Vivid storytelling with strong teen protagonists and epic magical struggles.
Teens race to save their world from destruction with magic and determination in Gouveia’s middle-grade fantasy novel, one in a series.
Hundreds of years in Earth’s future, young people live in a world called Drifters Realm; they are sent there at age 12 to become magic-wielding “Life Givers,” “Chemists,” “Knowledge Bearers,” “Navigators,” and more. Carrying the tools of their callings in magical backpacks while watched over by benevolent beings called Guardians, the teens learn to use their powers until they reach the age of 18, when they return to Earth. But something has gone wrong: Zane, the villainous adult ruler of Drifters Realm, plots to destroy it, turning the Guardians into killers. Now, 12-year-old Roe (a healing Life-Giver and a newly minted Sorcerer) is in Zane’s crosshairs. With her disgruntled brother Ori, storm-bringing sister Tora, older brother and shape-shifter Theo, and assorted companions, Roe races to fulfill a prophecy that could mean the Realm’s salvation (“From the Unforgettable Forest’s wildflower meadows and Sleeping Giants’ redwood trees…to the gusty winds of the Wandering Plains, ‘Every living thing is counting on me to save Drifters Realm’”). The author gives the teens (and readers) something new to think about by revealing the cause of Zane’s obsessive hatred of Drifters Realm, Roe, and her family. The young protagonists—with Roe at their center—convincingly overcome self-doubt and grow together through physical challenges, painful betrayals, and grueling tests of character as their powers expand. This volume provides a satisfying conclusion to the complex, multicharacter plot that has unfolded over the two previous novels in the series. Those new to the Drifters Realm world may be willing to go along for the ride without knowing the characters’ backstories or what has come before, but a much more rewarding experience begins with book one.
Vivid storytelling with strong teen protagonists and epic magical struggles.Pub Date: Feb. 11, 2025
ISBN: 9798891325555
Page Count: 226
Publisher: Atmosphere Press
Review Posted Online: April 3, 2025
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
Read this for the action-packed plot, not character development or worldbuilding.
On the orders of her mother, a woman goes to dragon-riding school.
Even though her mother is a general in Navarre’s army, 20-year-old Violet Sorrengail was raised by her father to follow his path as a scribe. After his death, though, Violet's mother shocks her by forcing her to enter the elite and deadly dragon rider academy at Basgiath War College. Most students die at the War College: during training sessions, at the hands of their classmates, or by the very dragons they hope to one day be paired with. From Day One, Violet is targeted by her classmates, some because they hate her mother, others because they think she’s too physically frail to succeed. She must survive a daily gauntlet of physical challenges and the deadly attacks of classmates, which she does with the help of secret knowledge handed down by her two older siblings, who'd been students there before her. Violet is at the mercy of the plot rather than being in charge of it, hurtling through one obstacle after another. As a result, the story is action-packed and fast-paced, but Violet is a strange mix of pure competence and total passivity, always managing to come out on the winning side. The book is categorized as romantasy, with Violet pulled between the comforting love she feels from her childhood best friend, Dain Aetos, and the incendiary attraction she feels for family enemy Xaden Riorson. However, the way Dain constantly undermines Violet's abilities and his lack of character development make this an unconvincing storyline. The plots and subplots aren’t well-integrated, with the first half purely focused on Violet’s training, followed by a brief detour for romance, and then a final focus on outside threats.
Read this for the action-packed plot, not character development or worldbuilding.Pub Date: May 2, 2023
ISBN: 9781649374042
Page Count: 528
Publisher: Red Tower
Review Posted Online: Jan. 12, 2024
SEEN & HEARD
BOOK TO SCREEN
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
BOOK REVIEW
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