Thomas Byrne thinks he’s taking an after-school job as a library assistant—and instead finds himself saving the world.
Debut author Rosado-Machain’s young-adult adventure weds the always-intriguing tropes of secret societies, youngsters-with-a-mission, arcane training schemes, mentors of questionable reliability and, of course, magic into a series-opener that evokes current favorites from The Mysterious Benedict Society to Percy Jackson yet brings its own take to the table. Teenager Thomas and his grandfather Morgan are in dire need of extra income to eke out Morgan’s pension. An enigmatic help-wanted ad, which looks like gibberish at first sight but resolves itself into plain English at second glance, leads the pair to discover that they are Cyphers, able to understand the written word in any language or alphabet—a talent highly prized by Guardians Inc., a secret society/multinational corporation charged with monitoring the gray area between Technology and Magic for the protection and guidance of humankind. Every 500 years a Promethean Oracle writes an installment of The Book of Concord, which will guide the Guardians through the next half millennium. Naturally, an antagonistic Warmaster (“I know! … Magical creatures love titles like that!”) conspires to get his hands on the Book and subvert humankind to his own nefarious ends. The Warmaster kidnaps Morgan, leaving Thomas—along with a team of walking, talking French gargoyles, an elf or two, an android butler and a Brooklynite bodyguard, as well as Guardian CEO Dr. Franco, librarian Mrs. Pianova and martial-arts goddess Kiran “Killjoy” Khanna (who moonlights as a high school assistant principal)—to interpret the signs leading to the next installment of the Book before the Warmaster plunges the world into another Dark Age. But there may be a double agent within the gates of Guardians, Inc…. Rosado-Machain is particularly skilled at depicting not only the confusion and uncertainty of a teenage boy facing unexpected challenges and a crush on a much older elf, but also delineating his shifting relationships with the adults around him, particularly his grandfather. Rosado-Machain brings a light, humorous touch to themes of teenage love, loss and betrayal wrapped up in a tasty package of magical coming-of-age.
Pub Date: Oct. 19, 2011
ISBN: 978-1466455337
Page Count: 222
Publisher: CreateSpace
Review Posted Online: Jan. 10, 2012
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Well-drawn characters and playful twists keep this thriller fully charged.
This YA SF novel features a teen who must halt a virus that will kill two-thirds of humanity.
In Silver Oak, Maryland, Alice Sherman is a high school junior enjoying lunch near her campus basketball court. With her is Archie, her brother, a senior and science prodigy who likes equations more than his fellow students. Alice has been Archie’s one true friend since their mother left six years ago. Alice is about to catch up with Lalana Bunyasarn, her best friend, when a sudden “streak of electricity zaps through” her head. The agony intensifies until a Voice enters Alice’s mind, asking her, “Do you want this pain to stop?” The Voice then instructs her to go up to Bandit Sakda, a classmate playing basketball, and say that she loves him. Bandit is a beautiful Thai boy who’s talented and arrogant. Strangely, the Voice calls her Malice and says not to fall for him because “it’ll only make what you have to do later harder.” Eventually, Alice learns that the Voice belongs to someone from 10 years in the future who needs help saving humanity. A virus will be created by a person Alice knows that will wipe out two-thirds of the world population. Following the Voice’s directions can save everyone—except the person Alice is ordered to kill. Dunn’s (Star-Crossed, 2018, etc.) latest YA adventure offers increasingly tantalizing twists that gleam in succession like nested matryoshka dolls. Alice will charm readers with her quirks, especially her devotion to Chris Hemsworth of Marvel’s Avengers films. Tension builds as characters in the large cast, including crushworthy Zeke Cain and the brilliant Cristela Ruiz, become potential targets for Alice’s mission. Details about Thai culture add a splendid dimension to the narrative; for example, Bandit is pronounced “bun-dit” and means “one who is wise.” While the notion of a high school killer may not sit well with some, the author doesn’t use the device lightly. Her book takes a strong anti-bullying stance, doing so through an entertaining narrative that doesn’t resort to preaching. The author’s heart and craftiness make a sequel welcome.
Well-drawn characters and playful twists keep this thriller fully charged.Pub Date: Feb. 4, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-64063-412-1
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Entangled Teen
Review Posted Online: Jan. 16, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2020
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Any moral that may be gleaned from the tangled narrative is buried in confusion. (Fantasy. YA)
A convoluted fantasy offering a series of morals about justice, mercy, human treatment of animals and human treatment of other humans.
A cluster of animals have been educated by a World War II veteran and his activist wife. The animals, a now-vegetarian mix of carnivores, herbivores and omnivores, live in harmony on Cloudburst Mountain. Following their scriptures (the Bible, Animal Farm and judgments such as “Humans Are Evil”), they plan for the day when they will kill all the humans and rule the world. The tale follows the adventures of their coyote prophet Justice and human ally Cody as they travel the United States preparing other animals for “The Rebellion.” Though they meet mostly repellent, violent humans and mistreated animals, they also encounter enough well-meaning, victimized humans to make Cody question his alliance with the cause of human genocide. Meanwhile, the grandson of the original human missionaries to the animals threatens the entire endeavor as he plans to mine the mountain for uranium. Ultimately, the animals succeed in murdering the vast majority of the human race, giving them hope for a shining new day. This overly complex tale is dense with purple prose and far too many extraneous characters–for example, Gordon “Raindance” Fell, the Shadow Shaman of the Pokihallah tribe; and Forest Victor, who appears for the first time late in the story, saying of his never-mentioned-before dead wife, “if only her hatred of the evil deeds of the baby seal killers hadn’t drawn her and her cameras into a combative stance.”
Any moral that may be gleaned from the tangled narrative is buried in confusion. (Fantasy. YA)Pub Date: June 21, 2006
ISBN: 0-595-39274-1
Page Count: -
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: May 23, 2010
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
© Copyright 2024 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
