A nonstop, Korean-inspired fantasy adventure that also tackles darker emotions.
Riley Oh sets out on another quest—this time into the afterlife—determined to fix all the problems she’s caused.
Thirteen-year-old Riley succeeded in saving her sister, Hattie, and her magical clan from their vindictive goddess, but not without a price. Her clan has lost their magic, and, though Hattie is back, she’s still weak, and she’s not getting better. Feeling as though she’s let everyone down, Riley decides to track down a new patron for her clan in order to restore their magic. The only problems: She’ll have to go to the Korean Spiritrealm to find him, and she doesn’t want to endanger anyone else she cares about. Along with the mysterious Dahl, Riley explores the underworld, which oddly resembles New York City and in which spirits are given tour guides and sentenced to vacations instead of trials. Despite the restructuring, something isn’t right in the Spiritrealm, and fixing it will have consequences in the land of the living. With dry humor and rough-and-tumble theatrics, Riley’s story continues as she grapples with guilt, belonging, and her own identity and self-confidence (Riley is Korean American and was adopted by her Korean family). The novel deftly balances the fun and the serious. The stakes are high, though Riley simply wants to do the right thing for her family and her community.
A nonstop, Korean-inspired fantasy adventure that also tackles darker emotions. (glossary) (Fantasy. 9-13)Pub Date: June 7, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-368-07314-1
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Rick Riordan Presents/Disney
Review Posted Online: March 15, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2022
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A pleasing premise for book lovers.
A fantasy-loving bookworm makes a wonderful, terrible bargain.
When sixth grader Poppy Woodlock’s historic preservationist parents move the family to the Oregon coast to work on the titular stately home, Poppy’s sure she’ll find magic. Indeed, the exiled water nymph in the manor’s ruined swimming pool grants a wish, but: “Magic isn’t free. It cosssts.” The price? Poppy’s favorite book, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. In return she receives Sampson, a winged lion cub who is everything Poppy could have hoped for. But she soon learns that the nymph didn’t take just her own physical book—she erased Narnia from Poppy’s world. And it’s just the first loss: Soon, Poppy’s grandmother’s journal’s gone, then The Odyssey, and more. The loss is heartbreaking, but Sampson’s a wonderful companion, particularly as Poppy’s finding middle school a tough adjustment. Hartman’s premise is beguiling—plenty of readers will identify with Poppy, both as a fellow bibliophile and as a kid struggling to adapt. Poppy’s repeatedly expressed faith that unveiling Sampson will bring some sort of vindication wears thin, but that does not detract from the central drama. It’s a pity that the named real-world books Poppy reads are notably lacking in diversity; a story about the power of literature so limited in imagination lets both itself and readers down. Main characters are cued White; there is racial diversity in the supporting cast. Chapters open with atmospheric spot art. (This review has been updated to reflect the final illustrations.)
A pleasing premise for book lovers. (Fantasy. 9-12)Pub Date: May 2, 2023
ISBN: 9780316448222
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: Feb. 24, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2023
Rich and strange (and kitted out with an eye-catching cover), but stronger in the set pieces than the internal logic.
Chainani works an elaborate sea change akin to Gregory Maguire’s Wicked (1995), though he leaves the waters muddied.
Every four years, two children, one regarded as particularly nice and the other particularly nasty, are snatched from the village of Gavaldon by the shadowy School Master to attend the divided titular school. Those who survive to graduate become major or minor characters in fairy tales. When it happens to sweet, Disney princess–like Sophie and her friend Agatha, plain of features, sour of disposition and low of self-esteem, they are both horrified to discover that they’ve been dropped not where they expect but at Evil and at Good respectively. Gradually—too gradually, as the author strings out hundreds of pages of Hogwarts-style pranks, classroom mishaps and competitions both academic and romantic—it becomes clear that the placement wasn’t a mistake at all. Growing into their true natures amid revelations and marked physical changes, the two spark escalating rivalry between the wings of the school. This leads up to a vicious climactic fight that sees Good and Evil repeatedly switching sides. At this point, readers are likely to feel suddenly left behind, as, thanks to summary deus ex machina resolutions, everything turns out swell(ish).
Rich and strange (and kitted out with an eye-catching cover), but stronger in the set pieces than the internal logic. (Fantasy. 11-13)Pub Date: May 14, 2013
ISBN: 978-0-06-210489-2
Page Count: 496
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Feb. 12, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2013
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