A mature and deftly plotted fantasy sequel by a shrewd author.
A magical realm marches to war while a teen hero explores her potential in this second installment of a YA fantasy series.
Sixteen-year-old Mirana Pinal is a powerful Trine from the Kin-Deren province of Kinderra. Many people in her world have Aspects, enhanced skills in Healing, Seeing, or Defending. But Mirana possesses all three magical talents. After a devastating battle at Two Rivers Ford—during which many of her own people, the Fal’kin, and their enemy, the Ken’nar perished—she’s in the Sün-Kasal province with Trine Tetric Garis. The older Trine is her mentor, teaching her that life and death are intimately connected, as are their magical counterparts, the Light from Within and the Power from Without. Mirana doesn’t like killing, not even animals to eat. Yet she must prepare for a prophetic battle with the Dark Trine for control of Jasal’s Keep, the Kin-Deren seat of power, and, eventually, the rest of Kinderra. Meanwhile, Teague Beltran, Mirana’s childhood love whom she left behind for his own safety, heads to Edara in the Varn-Erdal province. If the Ken’nar succeed in overrunning the capital, the Dark Trine will be one step closer to Jasal’s Keep. Though Teague possesses no Aspect, his herbalist skills make him valuable to Defender Prime Liaonne Edaran, ruler of Varn-Erdal. Elsewhere, Mirana must withstand the Dark Trine’s manipulation while mastering her powers over life and death. Donnelly’s high-stakes sequel grapples with the complexities of lingering love and the ethics of war. Teague’s romantic life nearly comes full circle as he ponders the safety of Illenne il’Talz, a new love interest, given that his fate is tied to the coming cataclysm. The Dark Trine’s evil is marked by the Soul Harvest, a spell that results in the “erasure of self-preservation and free will.” With her narrative building slowly toward chaos, the author gives epic fantasy aficionados some truly grim moments, as when Liaonne “hacked at the body until it became an unrecognizable heap of flesh and torn metal armor.” A stunning twist two-thirds into the story electrifies the pace and gives the series a darker tone, making the next volume unmissable.
A mature and deftly plotted fantasy sequel by a shrewd author.Pub Date: July 15, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-73505-185-7
Page Count: 458
Publisher: Kibbe Creative Media, LLC
Review Posted Online: Sept. 29, 2021
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Returning fans, anyway, will pounce.
Houck kicks off a new story arc in the world of the Tiger’s Curse series with new tigers who live in a northerly setting.
The death of their widowed royal mother touches off a crisis in the Kievian Empire; neither Stacia nor Verusha Stepanov, 17-year-old sword-wielding twin sisters, wants to be named tsarina. But questions of succession get put on hold when a battle with a sorcerer inexplicably turns the two into nonspeaking Siberian tigers. Hints of a cure send them, along with a growing entourage of men to provide assistance (and, perforce, do all the talking), on a long trek. Though most of the cast sticks to genre type, Houck throws in a wild card in the form of hunky, inarticulate Nikolai, who joins the quest because he is enthralled by Verusha—and who also killed his whole family in an act of revenge. Occasional anachronistic dialogue (e.g., “Are you ready, ladies?”) disrupts the tale’s generally earnest tone, as do the clumsy attempts at banter. A third tiger, snarky and blind but conveniently able to see through others’ eyes, trots in late in the story. The events in this setup volume unfold with many a flashback and change in point of view and head toward no sort of resolution—only the cave-dwelling White Shaman of the Tundra’s advice that further journeys are in the offing. The central cast in this Russian-inspired fantasy world presents white; the Indigenous population includes nomadic reindeer herders.
Returning fans, anyway, will pounce. (Fantasy. 13-16)Pub Date: Sept. 10, 2024
ISBN: 9798212221696
Page Count: 350
Publisher: Blackstone
Review Posted Online: July 19, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2024
A fantastical romp filled with intrigue and suspense.
Amid the approaching coronation of her cruel half brother, Jura, and agitation by pro-democracy rebels called the Dawnbreakers, Princess Teia Carthan of Erisia carves out her own fate.
Following her parents’ death, Teia learned to fight. In addition to being able to wield fire and water, she’s not above resorting to blackmail, bribery, and murder to ensure her survival. Through master thief Enna, she learns that Jura is after the Dawnbreakers’ symbolic figurehead: Kyra Medoh, a young woman said to be able to control fire, a skill believed to be passed down through the royal lineage. When Teia intercepts Kyra after the thief infiltrates the Golden Palace, the princess tells her she wants to join the Dawnbreakers. Teia plans to gain Kyra’s trust, discover the location of the Dawnbreakers’ base, and use this information as leverage with Jura to get out of the betrothal he’s arranged for her to an abusive murderer. As Teia works undercover, her camaraderie with and attraction to Dawnbreaker Tobias grows, and, moved by Kyra’s idealism, she starts to question her own motivations. Debut author Wang’s tightly written narrative deftly unravels surprising twists and intrigues. While several characters in this duology opener appear too eager to spill their deepest secrets, readers will forgive this weakness and anticipate the second volume. Teia’s mother came from the country of Shaylan; her skin tone is darker than most Erisians’. Kyra has coppery skin and black hair.
A fantastical romp filled with intrigue and suspense. (Fantasy. 13-17)Pub Date: Oct. 15, 2024
ISBN: 9781959411772
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Violetear Books/Bindery
Review Posted Online: Aug. 3, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2024
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