A rousing and gratifying sendoff to a consistently engrossing fantasy series.
A fiendish sorceress wages war against a magic-wielding teen in this conclusion to Shaffery’s YA fantasy trilogy.
The sorceress Dinora has been around for more than six centuries, stealing magic and trapping souls in the fantastical realm of Tenebris. She’s long held a thirst for revenge against this land, and she unleashes an army of conjured stone creatures upon it. The various inhabitants of Tenebris, human and otherwise, unite to battle Dinora’s army, including a teenage girl named Nyla. The sorceress had previously targeted Nyla because the girl inherited the magic of a Mage—Dinora’s nemesis from long ago. While Nyla and others battle the seemingly endless waves of stone creatures, Xander, Nyla’s love, watches the action unfold in a crystal ball. His archery skills can’t do much against enemies of solid rock, but he finds a way to help: He turns to Cedric, Dinora’s captive, centuries-old son,who surely knows how to take out his powerful mother. Shaffery kickstarts this tale with action; Tenebris quickly comes under attack, igniting exhilarating scenes of combat. Striking descriptions highlight the formidable series hero Nyla on the battlefield as she makes her way through the monsters: “Writhing and licking, the tongues of her lilac-colored magic leapt at the creatures… Chips of their jagged stone fell to the ground below like teeth.” The narrative has its share of slower moments as the cast comes to terms with past events that are integral to the series. The author has shrewdly maintained a consummate simplicity across all three installments, focusing on a memorable small-scale country and a handful of standout characters. This installment’s later chapters deliver a worthy conclusion while providing series regulars Nyla, Xander, and their catlike, telepathic friend, Shamira, with finales they deserve.
A rousing and gratifying sendoff to a consistently engrossing fantasy series.Pub Date: Sept. 12, 2023
ISBN: 9798986173269
Page Count: 398
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: Oct. 27, 2023
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
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
Raw, delicate, and deeply caring.
When Death-Cast doesn’t call, fate intertwines the lives of two boys, both haunted by their pasts and with futures they can’t escape.
In this third installment of the series that opened with 2017’s They Both Die at the End, Paz Dario waits every night for Death-Cast to call—as it should have for his father nearly 10 years ago, when Paz shot him to save his mother’s life. But the call never comes. Death-Cast killed Paz’s dreams of an acting career: No one will hire him now because the world sees him as a villain. When Paz tries (not for the first time) to put an end to his suffering, an unexpected encounter with Alano Rosa, the heir of Death-Cast, stops him. Both in a place of desperation, Alano and Paz sign a contract to live for Begin Days instead of waiting for their End Days. As suspenseful and emotionally wrenching as the previous titles in the series, this new installment explores heavy themes of abuse, mental health, self-harm, and suicide. Paz grapples with a recent diagnosis of borderline personality disorder. Silvera surrounds Alano and Paz with a web of complex relationships. Although the protagonists fall fast for one another and form a deep connection over Alano’s desire to support Paz, Silvera emphasizes the importance of professional help. Both Alano and Paz have Puerto Rican heritage. The cliffhanger ending promises more to come.
Raw, delicate, and deeply caring. (content warning, resources) (Speculative fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: May 6, 2025
ISBN: 9780063240858
Page Count: 720
Publisher: Quill Tree Books/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: March 22, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2025
© Copyright 2025 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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