A sweetly romantic magical diversion.
Former friends turned enemies must save their worlds.
Cassia, daughter of the Sylvan king, longs for recognition from her stern father, Silvanus, and misses her long-gone, gentle dryad mother. She hates being the Deathringer: The title means she must try to destroy the underground-dwelling Azpians using the ring childhood friend Zeru, a horned Dracu from the Azpian realm, found among his mother’s possessions and gifted her, not realizing its import. After Zeru kidnaps Cassia, hoping to retrieve the ring, which is stuck firmly to her finger, they travel to Welkincaster, the Ancients’ sanctuary, in search of answers. Sparks simmer, and they each discover unexpected new powers. The romance is appealing, even if Zeru feels too perfect, and the lovers’ joint desire to achieve peace and see off a late-emerging enemy provides impetus to kick the story up a notch after a leisurely opening. Cassia, who struggles to be true to herself when everyone (except Zeru) wants her to be someone else, is a sympathetic hero, but for all the magical trappings, unbreakable oaths, and bloodthirsty trees, most of the story’s emotional beats are relatively mundane. Uneven pacing and several convenient information drops detract somewhat from this otherwise enjoyable and wholesome series opener. Sylvans are of “many different builds, heights, skin, and hair colors”; Cassia has “dark golden hair,” and dark-haired, green-eyed Zeru has “lightly bronzed skin.”
A sweetly romantic magical diversion. (map) (Fantasy romance. 14-18)Pub Date: Feb. 11, 2025
ISBN: 9780316395724
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: Oct. 26, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2024
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
There’s not much plot here, but readers will relish the opportunity to climb inside Autumn’s head.
The finely drawn characters capture readers’ attention in this debut.
Autumn and Phineas, nicknamed Finny, were born a week apart; their mothers are still best friends. Growing up, Autumn and Finny were like peas in a pod despite their differences: Autumn is “quirky and odd,” while Finny is “sweet and shy and everyone like[s] him.” But in eighth grade, Autumn and Finny stop being friends due to an unexpected kiss. They drift apart and find new friends, but their friendship keeps asserting itself at parties, shared holiday gatherings and random encounters. In the summer after graduation, Autumn and Finny reconnect and are finally ready to be more than friends. But on August 8, everything changes, and Autumn has to rely on all her strength to move on. Autumn’s coming-of-age is sensitively chronicled, with a wide range of experiences and events shaping her character. Even secondary characters are well-rounded, with their own histories and motivations.
There’s not much plot here, but readers will relish the opportunity to climb inside Autumn’s head. (Fiction. 14 & up)Pub Date: April 1, 2013
ISBN: 978-1-4022-7782-5
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Review Posted Online: Feb. 12, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2013
BOOK REVIEW
SEEN & HEARD
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