An often thrilling and nuanced fantasy novella.
In this sequel to Beatrice and the Basilisk (2012), a Texas teenager must protect herself and her family from dark forces who aim to take advantage of her magical abilities.
As a new high school freshman, Beatrice McIlvaine has relatively few worries—that is, until she slays a dragonlike creature that threatens the town of Seabrook, near the Gulf of Mexico. After saving her family and the townsfolk from a basilisk, her life temporarily returns to normal. But then a van full of mysterious teenagers appears, and their leader is fully aware of Beatrice’s ability to “dream things so strong they really happen.” The group reveals that they’re escaping from a brutal headmaster who kept them in a top-secret government-run academy (“a school that’s more like a prison”) for people with special talents. They demand Beatrice’s help, and after she refuses, she’s abducted by the headmaster himself, who threatens to harm Beatrice’s mother unless she helps him track down the runaway students. Beatrice manages to escape and join the ex-pupils on their quest to stop the headmaster’s evil plan to eliminate millions of people as part of a “Real life Thanos conspiracy”—a reference to real-life Marvel superhero films. In order to protect her new friends and the rest of the world, she must learn to fully unleash her own superpowers. Over the course of this sequel, father-daughter writing duo Bruce McCandless and Carson McCandless continue to make Beatrice a compelling lead character. As the plot unfolds, she brings her trademark snark to nearly every scene as she confronts the challenges of coming-of-age as well as a traumatic loss. Each short, accessible chapter drives readers along at a breakneck pace—that is, until the story’s rather abrupt conclusion, which will leave readers hungry for more. Indeed, one may wish that there were more opportunities to develop the runaway-student characters—Mila, Lester, Victor, Chantel, and Sanjay—but there may be more time to do so in a future installment.
An often thrilling and nuanced fantasy novella.Pub Date: Jan. 1, 2020
ISBN: 978-0-9983351-2-4
Page Count: 127
Publisher: Ninth Planet Press
Review Posted Online: March 29, 2020
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A magical story with a classic Disney feel exploring love, friendship, and leading amid hardship.
Shortly before the new queen’s coronation, a monster wreaks havoc, forcing a young fairy princess to intervene at her own risk.
In Pixie Hollow, the Never Fairies of Spring, Summer, and Autumn work to create seasons for the humans on the Mainland, while the fairies of Winter remain apart in the Winter Woods. Clarion, a governing-talent fairy who’s soon to take over as queen of Pixie Hollow, often looks wonderingly at the Winter Woods. But crossing the border is against the rules set forth by her mentor, Queen Elvina. When a monster from Winter breaks free and enters Spring, Clarion bristles at Elvina’s dismissal. Determined to be involved, she secretly travels to Winter, meets with Milori, the Warden of the Winter Woods, and learns that the land is nothing like what she’s heard, making her wonder what else the queen has been untruthful about. Together Milori and Clarion work to discover the secrets of Pixie Hollow, which may save them—or lead to death. Set in a magical place of flowers and pixie dust, this story considers the control we have over the roles we’re assigned. Clarion is a beautifully complex character—strong yet insecure, lovable due to her willingness to prioritize relationships over rules. Themes of fear, forbidden love, and good vs. evil are present in this fast-paced, engaging tale. Main characters are cued white.
A magical story with a classic Disney feel exploring love, friendship, and leading amid hardship. (Fantasy. 12-18)Pub Date: Feb. 4, 2025
ISBN: 9781368098458
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Disney Press
Review Posted Online: Oct. 26, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 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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