A fat, slow-moving, sensuous fantasy for fans of watery paranormals
A 19th-century 16-year-old witch yearns to return to her birthright.
The anachronistically named Avery Roe is destined to be the next Roe witch, selling her magic to protect the whalers of her New England island. Her grandmother had been raising her as her apprentice until Avery’s magic-hating mother dragged her away to town. Four years later, Avery is still trapped by the only magic her mother is willing to use: a curse preventing Avery from fleeing or soliciting help. Forced to live without magic, dressed up in fancy clothes and trained in a Victorian young lady’s accomplishments, Avery is both self-loathing and self-harming. While she can interpret dreams for anyone who asks, Avery lacks any hint of how to unlock her magic. Her aging grandmother can no longer serve the town’s magical needs—and meanwhile, Avery’s been having prophetic dreams of her own murder. A young, tattooed Polynesian sailor named Tane needs Avery’s dream-telling assistance, and he swears he can end her mother’s curse. When Tane tattoos Avery with his magic (a regrettably exoticized moment), perhaps she’ll be stronger than her mother at last. Secrets abound in Avery’s world, and nobody’s as villainous as she suspects.
A fat, slow-moving, sensuous fantasy for fans of watery paranormals . (Fantasy. 13-15)Pub Date: Sept. 23, 2014
ISBN: 978-0-316-40451-8
Page Count: 416
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: July 28, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2014
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Taking up where Libyrinth (2009) left off, the spotlight of this sequel falls on Po and his difficulty adapting to the new culture rising from the life-changing Redemption. Po comes from a female-dominant culture: He’s hostile to men, protective of women and naïve about the motives and manipulations of others. After one transgression too many, he joins a quest searching for an artifact that will restore ecological balance to the deteriorating environment. While its predecessor examined religious/political belief systems, this volume explores differences among the various groups’ gender and sexual mores. Po becomes sexually active and makes dangerous mistakes before changing (quite realistically) his point of view and behavior. Sympathy for Po will carry readers until the excitement and suspense of the quest take over. Themes of abuse of authority, the nature of prejudice and the power of the written word remain from the first book—but with tricky and interesting twists. Background information is skillfully integrated into the plot in this clever, thought-provoking book that has appeal for fans of serious science fiction and fantasy. (Science fiction. 13-15)
Pub Date: Nov. 1, 2010
ISBN: 978-0-7653-2097-1
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Tor
Review Posted Online: Sept. 24, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2010
BOOK REVIEW
The Salt trilogy closes with a third generation of children fighting petty but dangerous evils. Hana, a girl from the city's wretched Bawdhouse Burrow, is orphaned when her mother is burned as a witch. Ben grows up far from the city, raised by his grandparents Pearl and Hari in the idyllic village from Gool (2010). When Hana flees the city, she brings with her a terrifying message for those outside its darkness: The Limping Man is coming. He has the terrible power to make people love him even as he torments them, and he plans to wipe out all who stand against him. Since most of the outsiders—Ben's family, the forest Dwellers and "the people without a name"—have mental powers, the Limping Man intends to massacre them. Ben and Hana, along with their allies, must find the Limping Man's secret in order to save their own lives and homes. Ben and Hana’s victories, like those of their parents and grandparents, are local. Even if they do defeat the Limping Man, they cannot vanquish evil from the world; life in the burrows will likely continue to be nasty, brutish and short. The heroes' personalities are defined by their harsh environments, but they reach beyond those limitations. Fantasy heroes who can save only themselves and their loved ones are a welcome change from the usual. (Fantasy. 13-15)
Pub Date: March 1, 2011
ISBN: 978-1-55469-216-3
Page Count: 208
Publisher: Orca
Review Posted Online: Feb. 17, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2011
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