With this second installment, the Burning Glass trilogy hits its stride.
Riaznin is finally free from imperial rule.
Valko, the dethroned emperor, is in prison awaiting trial. Sonya is no longer sovereign Auraseer—no longer the empire’s property. Anton, Valko’s brother and leader of the uprising, is now one of the governors on the nascent Duma, the council set up to oversee Riaznin’s new democracy. Peace is still far away, however, as the peasants and the former nobility continue to resent one another while the forces of a neighboring country are charging their way through the countryside toward the vulnerable new government. Sonya not only possesses the Auraseer’s ability to sense the emotions of others, she also has the unheard-of ability to manipulate others’ emotions. Only Anton and her old Romska friend, Tosya, know she used this ability to influence Valko to abdicate just as his regime was on the verge of winning the One Day War. Unfortunately, enemies past and present also know her secret and threaten to use it against her. The whiny girl Sonya was has been replaced by a strong but flawed woman who owns her convictions. Sonya’s first-person narration is filled with descriptions of the emotions of those around her. The effect can be disorienting, but perhaps that’s the point. A few minor characters have darker than white skin, and other than the Romani-cognate Romska, the people of Russia-analog Riaznin appear to be white.
With this second installment, the Burning Glass trilogy hits its stride. (map) (Fantasy. 12-18)Pub Date: Aug. 15, 2017
ISBN: 978-0-06-241239-3
Page Count: 368
Publisher: Katherine Tegen/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: May 23, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2017
There’s not much plot here, but readers will relish the opportunity to climb inside Autumn’s head.
The finely drawn characters capture readers’ attention in this debut.
Autumn and Phineas, nicknamed Finny, were born a week apart; their mothers are still best friends. Growing up, Autumn and Finny were like peas in a pod despite their differences: Autumn is “quirky and odd,” while Finny is “sweet and shy and everyone like[s] him.” But in eighth grade, Autumn and Finny stop being friends due to an unexpected kiss. They drift apart and find new friends, but their friendship keeps asserting itself at parties, shared holiday gatherings and random encounters. In the summer after graduation, Autumn and Finny reconnect and are finally ready to be more than friends. But on August 8, everything changes, and Autumn has to rely on all her strength to move on. Autumn’s coming-of-age is sensitively chronicled, with a wide range of experiences and events shaping her character. Even secondary characters are well-rounded, with their own histories and motivations.
There’s not much plot here, but readers will relish the opportunity to climb inside Autumn’s head. (Fiction. 14 & up)Pub Date: April 1, 2013
ISBN: 978-1-4022-7782-5
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Review Posted Online: Feb. 12, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2013
BOOK REVIEW
SEEN & HEARD
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
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