A busy YA fantasy novel with a solid story that will bewilder readers unfamiliar with previous series entries.
In Cox’s YA fantasy novel, the fourth in a series, two teens must aid an ancient race in defeating the darkness.
After spending time on Earth to mourn the loss of her mother and deal with real-life struggles involving school and family trouble, space-hopping teenager Ambrielle meets up with her crush, Gavian, to travel—using portals to return to the other worlds they’ve visited in the past. When passing through the citadel of Mekkinspire, Ambrielle notices that a legendarily impregnable vault that’s always remained sealed has now been opened, and she and Gavian resolve to track down the responsible party and learn what was removed. Following the trail to a mysterious glade, they discover that an ancient race has started to awaken. Ambrielle finds herself named as the next “awakener” and is joined by Wegin, a small orb and font of information that now acts as her guide. It’s imperative that Ambrielle awaken and gather as many warriors as she can to stop a looming, monstrous threat. As if this task weren’t enough, she and Gavian still need to navigate the other perils of the worlds they visit, including an impending war that might have already taken their friends and allies. The pair struggles to close rifts between worlds while trying to keep a rift from forming between themselves. The author deftly makes the characters feel authentic in their ages: Ambrielle steps up to do what needs to be done, but she still has typical teenage worries, like fretting over whether Gavian still likes her (“Maybe they didn’t have as much in common as she’d thought”) or debating whether to take some of the pretty jewelry she finds to show off to her friends. This is the fourth book in the Bewilderness series; interested readers should read the books in order. The author does a fair job of catching new readers up on the relevant previous adventures, but with so many unfamiliar names of places, people, and objects, readers who start the series with this installment will have an incredibly difficult time keeping up.
A busy YA fantasy novel with a solid story that will bewilder readers unfamiliar with previous series entries.Pub Date: Nov. 7, 2023
ISBN: 9798986636870
Page Count: 300
Publisher: Silvettica
Review Posted Online: Nov. 30, 2023
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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
A descriptive and atmospheric paranormal social thriller that could be a bit tighter.
After a Nigerian British girl goes off to an exclusive boarding school that seems to prey on less-privileged students, she discovers there might be some truth behind an urban legend.
Ife Adebola joins the Urban Achievers scholarship program at pricey, high-pressure Nithercott School, arriving shortly after a student called Leon mysteriously disappeared. Gossip says he’s a victim of the glowing-eyed Changing Man who targets the lonely, leaving them changed. Ife doesn’t believe in the myth, but amid the stresses of Nithercott’s competitive, privileged, majority-white environment, where she is constantly reminded of her state school background, she does miss her friends and family. When Malika, a fellow Black scholarship student, disappears and then returns, acting strangely devoid of personality, Ife worries the Changing Man is real—and that she’s next. Ife joins forces with classmate Bijal and Benny, Leon’s younger brother, to uncover the truth about who the Changing Man is and what he wants. Culminating in a detailed, gory, and extended climactic battle, this verbose thriller tempts readers with a nefarious mystery involving racial and class-based violence but never quite lives up to its potential and peters out thematically by its explosive finale. However, this debut offers highly visually evocative and eerie descriptions of characters and events and will appeal to fans of creature horror, social commentary, and dark academia.
A descriptive and atmospheric paranormal social thriller that could be a bit tighter. (Thriller. 14-18)Pub Date: Sept. 26, 2023
ISBN: 9781250868138
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Review Posted Online: June 8, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2023
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