This meticulously crafted YA journey will challenge readers’ expectations until the last page.
A human teenager finds herself on a series of alien worlds in this YA adventure.
A 16-year-old girl is trapped in a sandy oasis. There are no people or animals, and she has no memories of how she arrived or of anything else about herself. She does, however, remember a “blue glow coming through a swirling vortex” and sinister whispers. When she tries to explore her surroundings, a strange voice says, “Let us guide you,” but she can’t seem to escape the oasis. She then finds Sidaire, a younger girl who has glowing, emberlike hair and doesn’t seem quite human. Sidaire warns her about a place called the Hollow and about a threatening monster. When the teen dives into a spring in an attempt to escape said creature, she enters a series of underwater caves. She emerges in a new world of forests and mountains. A friendly humanoid named Maetha rescues her from danger, names her Ambrielle, and explains they’re in Anatharia. With no clear way back to Earth, Ambrielle tries to live among Maetha's people, the Kavekkians. They’re a wary group and warn her not to engage with their enemies, the Darterrans. This proves impossible when Ambrielle spies a human among the latter. Cox’s YA novel lives up to its title, keeping the protagonist in a consistent state of bafflement over new developments. He also provides occasionally striking visuals, such as a description of Maetha, who has a light-gray, oblong face and “rust-colored eyes.” Ambrielle encounters more familiar things, as well, including prejudice from the Kavekkians and petty tribalism among the Darterrans. The worldbuilding branches out in surprising ways when the setting moves to the technologically marvelous world of Elyravess. As Ambrielle remembers more details from her previous life, such as her falling-out with her friend Hannah, a fuller emotional journey evolves. Ambrielle also pursues a well-earned romance with Gavian, a teen living with the Darterrans. A superb final moment ensures that fans will return for the sequel.
This meticulously crafted YA journey will challenge readers’ expectations until the last page.Pub Date: Oct. 10, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-578-94488-3
Page Count: 292
Publisher: Silvettica
Review Posted Online: Jan. 13, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2022
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
An epic fantasy with timeless themes and unforgettable characters.
Two young people save the world and all the magic in it in this series opener.
When tall, dark-haired, white-skinned Christopher Forrester goes to stay with his grandfather in Scotland, he ventures to the top of a forbidden hill and discovers astonishing magical creatures. His grandfather explains that Christopher’s family are guardians of the “way through” to the Archipelago, where the Glimourie Tree grows—the source of glimourie, or the world’s magic. Black-haired, olive-skinned Mal Arvorian, a girl from the Archipelago, is being pursued by a murderer, and she asks Christopher for help, launching them both on a wild, dangerous journey to discover why the glimourie is disappearing and how to stop it. Together with a part-nereid woman, a ratatoska, a dragon, and a Berserker, they face an odyssey of dangerous tasks to find the Immortal, the only one who can reverse the draining of magic. Like Lyra and Will from Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials, Mal and Christopher sacrifice their innocence for experience, meeting every challenge with depthless courage until they finally reach the maze at the heart of it all. Rundell throws myriad obstacles in her characters’ way, but she gives them tools both tangible (a casapasaran, which always points the way home, and the glamry blade, which cuts through anything) and intangible (the desire “to protect something worth protecting” and an “insistence that the world is worth loving”). Final art not seen.
An epic fantasy with timeless themes and unforgettable characters. (map, bestiary) (Fantasy. 10-16)Pub Date: Sept. 10, 2024
ISBN: 9780593809860
Page Count: 368
Publisher: Knopf
Review Posted Online: May 30, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2024
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
© Copyright 2025 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.
