Next book

SONG OF THE CRIMSON FLOWER

An ambitious premise that does not live up to previous entries in complexity and depth.

The return to the kingdoms of Feng Lu relies heavily on the richly detailed East Asian worldbuilding.

Eight prosperous years after Empress Jade and Lord Koichi completed their quest to defeat the evil Empress Xifeng, a terrifying bloodpox outbreak and the illegal trade of forbidden black spice has left the kingdom on the brink of war. Bao is a gentle-spirited orphan and a physician’s apprentice whose heartbreak over Lan, the royal minister’s marriageable daughter, drives him to seek out a river witch. The witch turns out to be his vengeful aunt, who curses Bao with blood magic—casting a spell that traps him in his beloved flute. Lan deeply regrets her harsh words to Bao and vows to help him break the curse. A sincere declaration of love before the next full moon will break the spell, so the two embark on an epic journey to find answers. Lan and Bao’s story is a stand-alone tale, but fans of the Rise of the Empress duology will appreciate the entourage meeting up once again with Commander Wei, Wren, Jade, and Koichi. In this latest quest, characters are literally and figuratively transparent, and mentions of the long-dead Xifeng’s rise to villainy only makes readers long for more intriguing characters. Unfortunately, this companion title is weak in character development and engaging dialogue.

An ambitious premise that does not live up to previous entries in complexity and depth. (Fantasy adventure. 12-16)

Pub Date: Nov. 5, 2019

ISBN: 978-1-5247-3835-8

Page Count: 288

Publisher: Philomel

Review Posted Online: Sept. 9, 2019

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2019

Next book

LEGENDARY

From the Caraval series , Vol. 2

Dark, seductive, but over-the-top: Characters and book alike will enthrall those who choose to play.

Garber returns to the world of bestseller Caraval (2017), this time with the focus on younger, more daring sister Donatella.

Valenda, capital of the empire, is host to the second of Legend’s magical games in a single year, and while Scarlett doesn’t want to play again, blonde Tella is eager for a chance to prove herself. She is haunted by the memory of her death in the last game and by the cursed Deck of Destiny she used as a child which foretold her loveless future. Garber has changed many of the rules of her expanding world, which now appears to be infused with magic and evil Fates. Despite a weak plot and ultraviolet prose (“He tasted like exquisite nightmares and stolen dreams, like the wings of fallen angels, and bottles of fresh moonlight.”), this is a tour de force of imagination. Themes of love, betrayal, and the price of magic (and desire) swirl like Caraval’s enchantments, and Dante’s sensuous kisses will thrill readers as much as they do Tella. The convoluted machinations of the Prince of Hearts (one of the Fates), Legend, and even the empress serve as the impetus for Tella’s story and set up future volumes which promise to go bigger. With descriptions focusing primarily on clothing, characters’ ethnicities are often indeterminate.

Dark, seductive, but over-the-top: Characters and book alike will enthrall those who choose to play. (glossary) (Fantasy. 12-16)

Pub Date: May 29, 2018

ISBN: 978-1-250-09531-2

Page Count: 464

Publisher: Flatiron Books

Review Posted Online: March 19, 2018

Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2018

Next book

THE GIRL OF FIRE AND THORNS

From the Girl of Fire and Thorns series , Vol. 1

Despite the stale fat-to-curvy pattern, compelling world building with a Southern European, pseudo-Christian feel,...

Adventure drags our heroine all over the map of fantasyland while giving her the opportunity to use her smarts.

Elisa—Princess Lucero-Elisa de Riqueza of Orovalle—has been chosen for Service since the day she was born, when a beam of holy light put a Godstone in her navel. She's a devout reader of holy books and is well-versed in the military strategy text Belleza Guerra, but she has been kept in ignorance of world affairs. With no warning, this fat, self-loathing princess is married off to a distant king and is embroiled in political and spiritual intrigue. War is coming, and perhaps only Elisa's Godstone—and knowledge from the Belleza Guerra—can save them. Elisa uses her untried strategic knowledge to always-good effect. With a character so smart that she doesn't have much to learn, body size is stereotypically substituted for character development. Elisa’s "mountainous" body shrivels away when she spends a month on forced march eating rat, and thus she is a better person. Still, it's wonderfully refreshing to see a heroine using her brain to win a war rather than strapping on a sword and charging into battle.

Despite the stale fat-to-curvy pattern, compelling world building with a Southern European, pseudo-Christian feel, reminiscent of Naomi Kritzer's Fires of the Faithful (2002), keeps this entry fresh. (Fantasy. 12-14)

Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2011

ISBN: 978-0-06-202648-4

Page Count: 432

Publisher: Greenwillow Books

Review Posted Online: July 19, 2011

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2011

Close Quickview