A strong beginning for a promising fantasy series.
A teenage girl faces an awakening ancient god in Dawson’s YA fantasy novel.
Once upon a time, evil god Evercry and its magic corrupted the world until it was defeated by the Fair Lady, a goddesslike guardian figure. For a thousand years since, the warrior sisters of the Fair Lady’s order in the medieval-like city of Lathore have protected the world from the lingering tendrils of the Evercry’s essence by slaying those who fall under its spell. Larissa is about to be tested by the Fair Lady, and once she passes her trial, she will one day—like her mother and countless women in their family before her—hear the call to slay her enemy. But when Larissa fails her Empirical (a sort of final graduation test), she is placed within the secretive caste of the darkkins, the only ones within their order who are allowed to study and even wield magic to face the Evercry (“They studied magic, the tool of the Evercry, to better understand and defend against their foe. Sisters warned all acolytes to steer clear of them; they bore taint for their meddling with magic”). When she is called to go on an unexpected mission, she and her friends Jyan and Valare, who are knights, embark on a dangerous journey that may change everything. The story brilliantly juxtaposes Larissa’s friends’ prowess in fighting in exciting action sequences with Larissa’s more scholarly nature. Her studies as a darkkin unveil the truth about her heritage, the history of her world, and her role in it, as she learns, “The world is not a stagnant history book. It changes all the time, with every passing day, and many of us are never aware.” Satisfying character arcs, a deeply felt sense of sisterhood between Larissa and her friends, and a bit of romance are the cherries on top.
A strong beginning for a promising fantasy series.Pub Date: July 1, 2023
ISBN: 9781956615159
Page Count: 328
Publisher: Literary Wanderlust
Review Posted Online: June 10, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2023
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
An ode to the children of migrants who have been taken away.
A Mexican American boy takes on heavy responsibilities when his family is torn apart.
Mateo’s life is turned upside down the day U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents show up unsuccessfully seeking his Pa at his New York City bodega. The Garcias live in fear until the day both parents are picked up; his Pa is taken to jail and his Ma to a detention center. The adults around Mateo offer support to him and his 7-year-old sister, Sophie, however, he knows he is now responsible for caring for her and the bodega as well as trying to survive junior year—that is, if he wants to fulfill his dream to enter the drama program at the Tisch School of the Arts and become an actor. Mateo’s relationships with his friends Kimmie and Adam (a potential love interest) also suffer repercussions as he keeps his situation a secret. Kimmie is half Korean (her other half is unspecified) and Adam is Italian American; Mateo feels disconnected from them, less American, and with worries they can’t understand. He talks himself out of choosing a safer course of action, a decision that deepens the story. Mateo’s self-awareness and inner monologue at times make him seem older than 16, and, with significant turmoil in the main plot, some side elements feel underdeveloped. Aleman’s narrative joins the ranks of heart-wrenching stories of migrant families who have been separated.
An ode to the children of migrants who have been taken away. (Fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: May 4, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-7595-5605-8
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: Feb. 22, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2021
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A heavy read about the harsh realities of tragedy and their effects on those left behind.
In this companion novel to 2013’s If He Had Been With Me, three characters tell their sides of the story.
Finn’s narrative starts three days before his death. He explores the progress of his unrequited love for best friend Autumn up until the day he finally expresses his feelings. Finn’s story ends with his tragic death, which leaves his close friends devastated, unmoored, and uncertain how to go on. Jack’s section follows, offering a heartbreaking look at what it’s like to live with grief. Jack works to overcome the anger he feels toward Sylvie, the girlfriend Finn was breaking up with when he died, and Autumn, the girl he was preparing to build his life around (but whom Jack believed wasn’t good enough for Finn). But when Jack sees how Autumn’s grief matches his own, it changes their understanding of one another. Autumn’s chapters trace her life without Finn as readers follow her struggles with mental health and balancing love and loss. Those who have read the earlier book will better connect with and feel for these characters, particularly since they’ll have a more well-rounded impression of Finn. The pain and anger is well written, and the novel highlights the most troublesome aspects of young adulthood: overconfidence sprinkled with heavy insecurities, fear-fueled decisions, bad communication, and brash judgments. Characters are cued white.
A heavy read about the harsh realities of tragedy and their effects on those left behind. (author’s note, content warning) (Fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: Feb. 6, 2024
ISBN: 9781728276229
Page Count: 416
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Review Posted Online: Jan. 5, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
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