A vibrant, elucidating LGBTQ+ fantasy.
In this third volume of the Immortal Beings fantasy series, deities inhabit human bodies, fall in love, and strive against bigotry.
Three thousand years ago, in a region called Zhongtu, An Ning awakes in a field of ash, inhabiting a man’s body. She has no other memories of her identity prior to waking other than her name and gender, but she has the magical power to shape clothing from soot. She learns that the village of Xiling has been burned by the God of Destruction and befriends Lady Guiying, a courtesan. When An Ning explains the circumstances of her awakening, Guiying declares her a new god. Soon, An Ning is known as “the Peace Bringer” in the village of Ningjingcun. One day, Karana—who’s the God of Destruction but chooses not to use the title—approaches the village. When he sees someone who reminds him of An Ning, whom he knew millennia ago, he calls her name. Startled, An Ning uses divine magic to teleport to Karana’s side, then faints from the exertion. Karana carries An Ning to her house and remains until she wakes. So begins an unconventional and magical romance that feels like destiny at work—yet Karana keeps his past from An Ning, including her role in it. The truth emerges as the Sundered Cult, seeking vengeance for their deceased Sun God, attacks female monks and deities. Pawlicki’s third series installment is emotionally resonant as both a fantasy and as an exploration of transgender identity. The chapters often shift between An Ning and Karana’s third-person perspectives, and when following An Ning’s actions, the narration uses the pronouns she/her/hers. When following Karana’s, An Ning’s pronouns become he/him/his, portraying Karana’s inaccurate perception. Magical elements, such as Bulgae fire dogs, are well integrated into the narrative. Bits of wisdom weave through the story in lines such as “You cannot control what another believes.” The work’s tragic portrayals of body dysmorphia will be familiar to many readers and may create clarity for others. A magical plot development toward the end reveals how one’s viewpoint on gender is informed by society and also changeable with an open heart.
A vibrant, elucidating LGBTQ+ fantasy.Pub Date: June 14, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-957279-02-2
Page Count: 345
Publisher: Self
Review Posted Online: June 10, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2022
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
Unrelenting, and not in a good way.
A young Navarrian woman faces even greater challenges in her second year at dragon-riding school.
Violet Sorrengail did all the normal things one would do as a first-year student at Basgiath War College: made new friends, fell in love, and survived multiple assassination attempts. She was also the first rider to ever bond with two dragons: Tairn, a powerful black dragon with a distinguished battle history, and Andarna, a baby dragon too young to carry a rider. At the end of Fourth Wing (2023), Violet and her lover, Xaden Riorson, discovered that Navarre is under attack from wyvern, evil two-legged dragons, and venin, soulless monsters that harvest energy from the ground. Navarrians had always been told that these were monsters of legend and myth, not real creatures dangerously close to breaking through Navarre’s wards and attacking civilian populations. In this overly long sequel, Violet, Xaden, and their dragons are determined to find a way to protect Navarre, despite the fact that the army and government hid the truth about these creatures. Due to the machinations of several traitorous instructors at Basgiath, Xaden and Violet are separated for most of the book—he’s stationed at a distant outpost, leaving her to handle the treacherous, cutthroat world of the war college on her own. Violet is repeatedly threatened by her new vice commandant, a brutal man who wants to silence her. Although Violet and her dragons continue to model extreme bravery, the novel feels repetitive and more than a little sloppy, leaving obvious questions about the world unanswered. The book is full of action and just as full of plot holes, including scenes that are illogical or disconnected from the main narrative. Secondary characters are ignored until a scene requires them to assist Violet or to be killed in the endless violence that plagues their school.
Unrelenting, and not in a good way.Pub Date: Nov. 7, 2023
ISBN: 9781649374172
Page Count: 640
Publisher: Red Tower
Review Posted Online: Jan. 20, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
SEEN & HEARD
Read this for the action-packed plot, not character development or worldbuilding.
On the orders of her mother, a woman goes to dragon-riding school.
Even though her mother is a general in Navarre’s army, 20-year-old Violet Sorrengail was raised by her father to follow his path as a scribe. After his death, though, Violet's mother shocks her by forcing her to enter the elite and deadly dragon rider academy at Basgiath War College. Most students die at the War College: during training sessions, at the hands of their classmates, or by the very dragons they hope to one day be paired with. From Day One, Violet is targeted by her classmates, some because they hate her mother, others because they think she’s too physically frail to succeed. She must survive a daily gauntlet of physical challenges and the deadly attacks of classmates, which she does with the help of secret knowledge handed down by her two older siblings, who'd been students there before her. Violet is at the mercy of the plot rather than being in charge of it, hurtling through one obstacle after another. As a result, the story is action-packed and fast-paced, but Violet is a strange mix of pure competence and total passivity, always managing to come out on the winning side. The book is categorized as romantasy, with Violet pulled between the comforting love she feels from her childhood best friend, Dain Aetos, and the incendiary attraction she feels for family enemy Xaden Riorson. However, the way Dain constantly undermines Violet's abilities and his lack of character development make this an unconvincing storyline. The plots and subplots aren’t well-integrated, with the first half purely focused on Violet’s training, followed by a brief detour for romance, and then a final focus on outside threats.
Read this for the action-packed plot, not character development or worldbuilding.Pub Date: May 2, 2023
ISBN: 9781649374042
Page Count: 528
Publisher: Red Tower
Review Posted Online: Jan. 12, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
SEEN & HEARD
BOOK TO SCREEN
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