Deeply flawed.
Forbidden love blooms on a planet called Safari between its queen and her half-human slave.
When a devastating attack by the Sepharon destroys the nomadic human rebels’ camp and kills half-human/half-Sepharon Eros’ adoptive parents and brother, he’s captured. Despite a standard practice of killing half-bloods, the queen, Kora, has designs to make him her personal servant and secret bodyguard, as her own guards are actually loyal to her jealous younger brother. In fact, Kora’s position is downright precarious—she’s widely disliked as a ruler because she’s a woman. Readers are frequently told that her brother would be a disastrous ruler, but, aside from her kind treatment of Eros, no evidence is given that demonstrates that Kora has any greater aptitude. Instead of allowing readers to see her govern, the narrative, which alternates between her and Eros’ first-person accounts, describes the growing physical attraction and emotional connection between the two. Only readers swept up by the chemistry and love story will be able to overlook pacing issues, plot holes, and flat secondary characters with flimsy motivations. While the storyline is marred by obvious, what-you-see-is-what-you-get–type villains with transparent plots, the writing itself is generally competent, although the sprinkling of Sephari words is distracting at times. The humans’ colonial past and subsequent enslavement are glossed over, as are many worldbuilding questions. A rushed conclusion sets up the sequel.
Deeply flawed. (Science fiction. 13-17)Pub Date: March 1, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-63450-644-1
Page Count: 352
Publisher: Sky Pony Press
Review Posted Online: Jan. 8, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2016
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Despite the well-meaning warmth, a wearying plod.
Can a 17-year-old with her first girlfriend prevent real-life folks from discovering her online fandoms?
Cass is proudly queer, happily fat, and extremely secretive about being a fan who role-plays on Discord. Back in middle school, she had what she calls a gaming addiction, playing “The Sims” so much her parents had to take the game away. Now, turning to her role-play friends to cope with her fighting parents, she worries that people will judge her for her fannishness and online life. To be fair, her grades are suffering. And sure, maybe she’s missed a college application deadline. Also, her mom has suddenly left Minneapolis and moved to Maine to be with a man she met online. But on the other hand, Cass is finally dating her amazingly cute longtime crush, Taylor. Pansexual Taylor is a gamer, a little bit punk, White like Cass, and so, so great—but she still can’t help comparing her to Rowan, Cass’ online best friend and role-playing ship partner. But Rowan doesn’t want to be a dirty little secret and doesn’t see why Cass can’t be honest about this part of her life. The inevitable train wreck of her lies looms on the horizon for months in an overlong morality play building to the climax that includes tidy resolutions to all the character arcs that are quite heartwarming but, in the case of Cass’ estranged mother, narratively unearned.
Despite the well-meaning warmth, a wearying plod. (Fiction. 13-16)Pub Date: Feb. 7, 2023
ISBN: 978-0-06-324332-3
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Quill Tree Books/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Nov. 15, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2022
BOOK REVIEW
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
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