A well-developed cast fuels the latest entry in a consistently absorbing paranormal series.
A search for lost memories pits lovers against an immensely powerful force in this eighth urban-fantasy installment.
Laurence Riley and Quentin d’Arcy make the most of their shared life in San Diego, where they live with and care for a mansion full of youngsters who, like the couple, are “gifted” with supernatural abilities. Quentin, for example, is telekinetic, and Laurence is a witch, although he’s not as skilled or formidable as his mentor, Rufus. As a trade-off for this mentorship, Laurence uses his gift to gaze into Rufus’ memories—specifically, his family’s fatal car accident from 10 years before. Rufus wants to find out who killed his parents, believing that it was more than a mere accidental collision. But as Laurence surprisingly discovers, no one who was at the scene on that particular day—including himself as a boy—remembers much about what happened. So he turns to Quentin’s telepathic twin, Frederick, who’s already at work making amends for startling transgressions, real or perceived, against his brother and Laurence. Frederick’s deep dive into someone else’s mind, however, only deepens the mystery, as he spots missing memories, or “blips,” during his exploration. Identifying the reason why those blips exist will ultimately put Laurence, Quentin, and their family members and friends in the company of warlocks and sorcerers, with some more intimidating than others. The heroes will use their gifts and whatever spells they can get their hands on to somehow restore the missing memories and maybe unmask a killer along the way.
This latest offering retains the somber tone and understated humor that Faulkner mastered in previous volumes in the series. Most characters have dark pasts that weigh heavily on them in the present day. This sequel explores familiar territory, with copious nods to earlier events throughout the series. Still, the mystery this time around is thoroughly engaging, and the cast is, as always, fascinating. Series staple Frederick is especially memorable as a sublimely complicated telepath who’s easy to like despite his unquestionable capacity to do some awful things. Laurence and Quentin, too, are shown to struggle with the effects of past traumas, including Laurence’s former heroin addiction and Quentin’s father’s abuse. In this novel, Quentin shows his own paternal side, as the gifted youth are akin to his and Laurence’s children, and he even runs into an intriguing potential addition to their household. As the story continues, the author steers readers through numerous plot turns, including the heroes getting an unexpected helping hand and one character facing sudden peril. The main mystery also gets a satisfying resolution. Moreover, Faulkner’s prose is as sharp and concise as ever, smoothly alternating between close third-person narrative perspectives, although Laurence most often takes the narrative reins. Notwithstanding all the backstory, this focused installment rarely strays from the main plot; this makes for a thrilling tale that culminates with not one, but three rousing scenes that set the stage for another series installment. A well-developed cast fuels the latest entry in a consistently absorbing paranormal series.Pub Date: May 27, 2022
ISBN: 9781912349180
Page Count: 382
Publisher: Ravensword Press
Review Posted Online: June 13, 2023
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Read this for the action-packed plot, not character development or worldbuilding.
On the orders of her mother, a woman goes to dragon-riding school.
Even though her mother is a general in Navarre’s army, 20-year-old Violet Sorrengail was raised by her father to follow his path as a scribe. After his death, though, Violet's mother shocks her by forcing her to enter the elite and deadly dragon rider academy at Basgiath War College. Most students die at the War College: during training sessions, at the hands of their classmates, or by the very dragons they hope to one day be paired with. From Day One, Violet is targeted by her classmates, some because they hate her mother, others because they think she’s too physically frail to succeed. She must survive a daily gauntlet of physical challenges and the deadly attacks of classmates, which she does with the help of secret knowledge handed down by her two older siblings, who'd been students there before her. Violet is at the mercy of the plot rather than being in charge of it, hurtling through one obstacle after another. As a result, the story is action-packed and fast-paced, but Violet is a strange mix of pure competence and total passivity, always managing to come out on the winning side. The book is categorized as romantasy, with Violet pulled between the comforting love she feels from her childhood best friend, Dain Aetos, and the incendiary attraction she feels for family enemy Xaden Riorson. However, the way Dain constantly undermines Violet's abilities and his lack of character development make this an unconvincing storyline. The plots and subplots aren’t well-integrated, with the first half purely focused on Violet’s training, followed by a brief detour for romance, and then a final focus on outside threats.
Read this for the action-packed plot, not character development or worldbuilding.Pub Date: May 2, 2023
ISBN: 9781649374042
Page Count: 528
Publisher: Red Tower
Review Posted Online: Jan. 12, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
SEEN & HEARD
Unrelenting, and not in a good way.
A young Navarrian woman faces even greater challenges in her second year at dragon-riding school.
Violet Sorrengail did all the normal things one would do as a first-year student at Basgiath War College: made new friends, fell in love, and survived multiple assassination attempts. She was also the first rider to ever bond with two dragons: Tairn, a powerful black dragon with a distinguished battle history, and Andarna, a baby dragon too young to carry a rider. At the end of Fourth Wing (2023), Violet and her lover, Xaden Riorson, discovered that Navarre is under attack from wyvern, evil two-legged dragons, and venin, soulless monsters that harvest energy from the ground. Navarrians had always been told that these were monsters of legend and myth, not real creatures dangerously close to breaking through Navarre’s wards and attacking civilian populations. In this overly long sequel, Violet, Xaden, and their dragons are determined to find a way to protect Navarre, despite the fact that the army and government hid the truth about these creatures. Due to the machinations of several traitorous instructors at Basgiath, Xaden and Violet are separated for most of the book—he’s stationed at a distant outpost, leaving her to handle the treacherous, cutthroat world of the war college on her own. Violet is repeatedly threatened by her new vice commandant, a brutal man who wants to silence her. Although Violet and her dragons continue to model extreme bravery, the novel feels repetitive and more than a little sloppy, leaving obvious questions about the world unanswered. The book is full of action and just as full of plot holes, including scenes that are illogical or disconnected from the main narrative. Secondary characters are ignored until a scene requires them to assist Violet or to be killed in the endless violence that plagues their school.
Unrelenting, and not in a good way.Pub Date: Nov. 7, 2023
ISBN: 9781649374172
Page Count: 640
Publisher: Red Tower
Review Posted Online: Jan. 20, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
SEEN & HEARD
© Copyright 2024 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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