An appealing fantasy mashup that’s ripe for further development in future volumes.
A college-aged werewolf and his compatriots travel back in time to Camelot, where they go up against Mordred, Morgan le Fay, and a vampire in this fourth installment of a YA fantasy series.
It’s 2018, and Lucy and James are on a beach at night while visiting the Hamptons estate of James’ aunt, known as Mrs. T. “I never thought so much about moonlight until you and I became a couple,” Lucy tells James, a nod to the fact that her boyfriend belongs to the Brotherhood of Wolves, a centuries-old society of werewolves. The Brotherhood has long been influenced by the tales of King Arthur and the Round Table; in fact, James’ late uncle, known as Mr. T, built a round table in the estate’s attic while attempting to create a time-travel portal to that era. He never succeeded, but now Mrs. T, who’s been experiencing ghostly visitations by her late husband, brings Lucy and James to the table, along with Michael, another relative with lycanthropic powers, and Mr. Walker, who’s gone on previous Brotherhood adventures. Thanks to Mr. T’s directions, the table-portal now works, and James, Lucy, Michael, and Mrs. T land back in Camelot just in time to stop Mordred’s attempt to kill the wizard Merlin. Later, while the crew is on a mission to find Lady Guinevere’s lost dog, they stumble onto a plot by Morgan le Fay, aided by the vampire Meleagant, to free the imprisoned Mordred. The tale ends with a major royal ceremony.
Although it’s fast-paced and entertaining, this latest installment in Murray and Fahrie’s YA series clocks in at only 74 pages, and it suffers a bit from its brevity. Anyone who’s first entering the world of the Brotherhood by reading this book may yearn for more backstory, if only to understand how Mr. Walker, who doesn’t have wolfish powers, came to be part of this group. Still, the authors manage to pack an enjoyable mix of elements into this book’s scant page count. Lucy, who serves as the narrator, has a relationship with James that calls the Twilight series to mind; the narrative takes some timeouts for her to relish making love with him. Lucy also offers relatable responses to her situation, including an eagerness to have a firsthand look at Guinevere’s fabled beauty, and at least a momentary desire to return to her “normal life back at college...where I could just relax in my apartment and read a good book and then go to Starbucks and get a Caramel Macchiato.” The crew sometimes exhibits an appealingly goofy Scooby-Doo-like dynamic, as when the apparently older Mr. Walker wields a sword while saying “Don’t worry, Mrs. T, I was captain of my high school fencing team.” The authors ably tee up how Lucy and James might engage in Camelot activities in upcoming books, with the couple meeting Lancelot; the famed knight compares his bond with Guinevere to the couple’s own and notes, “Because you are from the future you know as much about me as I know about myself.”
Pub Date: Dec. 7, 2019
ISBN: 9781672559584
Page Count: 72
Publisher: Self
Review Posted Online: Aug. 12, 2024
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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
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
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