Spirited characters enliven an engrossing contemporary fantasy with series potential.
In Begley’s YA novel, teenage twins aim to use their newfound supernatural powers to save their grandmother.
Seventeen-year-old Cole Lund excels at high school sports in his small Pennsylvania town of Lehighton. This is due mainly to a boost of energy he sometimes receives that, for example, gives him an impressively strong soccer kick. However, he only feels that power when his twin sister, Clara, is nearby. She initially claims she doesn’t feel/hear the same “hum” that Cole feels, but it soon becomes clear that the siblings share unusual powers. Before long, they learn that not only does their older cousin, Adler, feel the same hum, but also that their powers may be hereditary. A generations-old book, which the twins’ maternal grandmother, Amma, is slowly translating from Old Norse, tells of Vikings and an ancient Order. It also reveals a mental “training room” that Cole and Clara can access to hone their strange abilities, which involve far more than just super-kicks—and even include telekinesis. As one particularly notable ability gradually comes to light, Amma suddenly goes missing. When evidence shows that someone has abducted her and taken her to Iceland, the twins head overseas on a rescue mission. Begley’s impressive character development begets two great leads—a warmhearted, sometimes-dense, and popular jock and his bright sibling who’s perfectly content not to be part of the in-crowd. The book primarily deals with discovery: Cole and Clara learn about their family and their powers, and they stumble onto new threats, including one that’s shockingly close to home. Similarly, the story suggests a much larger universe; intermittent chapters center on people living on the Faroe Islands and an apparent “curse” from the magically gifted “Greymen.” Readers also get some insight into another character, whose brief, first-person narrative perspectives reveal a cryptic and somewhat disturbing personality. The engaging supporting cast also includes the twins’ history-nerd college-professor parents; Cole’s best friend, Asa, who once had a “fling” with Clara; and quirky Gran, the twins’ paternal grandmother.
Spirited characters enliven an engrossing contemporary fantasy with series potential.Pub Date: Dec. 11, 2024
ISBN: 9798218569082
Page Count: 378
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: March 24, 2025
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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
Crowd-pleasing fun laced with political fire: a winner.
Bestselling author Faizal returns to the universe of We Hunt the Flame (2019) with a stand-alone duology opener.
Orphaned Arthie, brown-skinned with mauve hair, has created a criminal empire out of sheer pluck despite being Ceylani in Ettenia, where laws favor white people. She pulled legendary pistol Calibore from a stone plinth (though the prophecy that doing so would make her the nation’s leader turned out to be a hoax). She’s also built Spindrift, a teahouse-cum-bloodhouse, where she gathers secrets from wealthy humans and vampires, amassing power and security. Now Arthie has her sights set on vengeance—and the Ram, Ettenia’s masked monarch. When she and Jin, her brother-by-choice (who’s cued East Asian), are drawn into a heist, they assemble a diverse crew of immigrants whose roles riff on genre archetypes. The lush prose pulses with feeling as revelations are dropped and the tension ratchets up, keeping the pages turning as the motley gang plans to infiltrate a vampire society, retrieve a stolen ledger, and double-cross one of the Ram’s guards (who might be planning to double-cross them). Their ultimate goal: taking down the colonizing Ettenians and the exploitative East Jeevant Company. It’s all very exciting right up to the action-packed finale, which promises more conspiracy and (hopefully) justice to come. This compelling read offers interesting commentary on our society while feeling entirely real within the context of its own worldbuilding.
Crowd-pleasing fun laced with political fire: a winner. (map) (Fantasy. 13-18)Pub Date: Feb. 20, 2024
ISBN: 9780374389406
Page Count: 352
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Review Posted Online: Nov. 17, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2023
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