A shrewd, absorbing fantasy showcasing extraordinary characters worth rooting for.
A teenager harboring potential magical powers vows to confront the red-eyed stranger who’s been haunting her in this debut YA novel.
Nyla’s unusual silver hair and purple eyes are indicative of someone with magical abilities. But she has none, her hair and eyes having changed colors after a fatal fire took her family two years ago. In fact, her home country of Tenebris somehow lost most of its magic centuries before. But there is a legendary waterfall that reputedly grants desires, and Nyla braves the treacherous Shadow Forest to find it and its good fortune. Along the way, she meets Xander, a fellow teen without a family. Their run-in with a hideous ogre in the forest—and its apparent, inexplicable death—leads both teens to suspect that Nyla has magical powers that she’s unaware of. Moreover, a man with scarlet-colored eyes and a crystal ball seizes her lucid dream-visions and seems intent on killing her. Answers regarding her magic’s source and this enigmatic villain may lie on the other side of Tenebris—in a creepy, abandoned manor from Nyla’s childhood. Shaffery wisely zeroes in on the sublime cast in this fantasy series opener. While individual backstories and the sinister presence targeting Nyla gradually come to light, the growing relationships truly drive the engrossing story. Nyla and Xander display genial natures that will quickly earn readers’ sympathies. Even when they annoy each other or occasionally fight, the two remain warmhearted, with Xander “just maybe a bit overconcerned” with Nyla’s well-being. They later team up with a supernatural ally whom they don’t immediately trust and spot other fantastical beings as well, including a fire-spitting “nocturnal creature” with “charcoal eyes” called a pyrosa. Though the memorable ending leaves paths for the sequel, this introductory tale illuminates much of the unraveling mystery and skillfully explores a fair amount of Tenebris’ relatively compact landscape.
A shrewd, absorbing fantasy showcasing extraordinary characters worth rooting for.Pub Date: June 3, 2022
ISBN: 9798986173207
Page Count: 420
Publisher: Self
Review Posted Online: Nov. 17, 2022
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A thrilling, beautifully written page-turner.
A young woman pursues a dangerous quest in late-1800s Egypt in this sequel to What the River Knows (2023).
After Inez Olivera was nearly murdered while assisting with her uncle’s archaeological expedition in Egypt, Tío Ricardo is eager to ship her home to safety in Argentina. But Inez burns with the need to stay and make sure that those who committed crimes against her family are held responsible. Unfortunately, the law precludes Inez, as a young unmarried woman, from accessing her inheritance (needed to fund her quest for justice) without her guardian uncle’s permission. Whitford Hayes, a former British soldier and her tío’s aide-de-camp, proposes marriage, which could solve her problems. But can Inez trust the secretive Whit? More danger and intrigue lurk at every turn in this exciting duology closer, which fully addresses the first entry’s jaw-dropping cliffhanger. The well-paced plot encompasses many fresh, new adventures and betrayals in this reimagined historical setting in which ancient magic abounds and not everyone or everything is what it seems. Even more captivating, however, is the complicated, nuanced love story between Whit and Inez. Their chemistry sizzles, but their relationship is achingly layered with both profound loyalty and deep deception. As their journey unearths new enemies and priceless archaeological finds, the duo must try to trust each other enough to survive.
A thrilling, beautifully written page-turner. (cast of characters, map, timeline) (Historical fantasy. 14-18)Pub Date: Nov. 5, 2024
ISBN: 9781250822994
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Wednesday Books
Review Posted Online: Aug. 17, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2024
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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