This zany adventure flaunts a heart of gold and a plucky heroine.
In this debut middle-grade fantasy, a girl must protect her newborn twin siblings from evil forces.
Twelve-year-old Makenna Grace Gold of the Los Angeles area can’t wait for school tomorrow. She’s trying to fall asleep but is excited about the Science Fair, where she’ll present homemade sugar crystals. Just as Makenna drifts off, a trio of fairies appears in her bedroom: cousins Bree and Dee Delphine and “Marigold Frith, Fairy Prelate.” They’ve come to initiate Makenna as The Virago, Warrior of Warriors. From braids of light and hope, they summon the Ancient Weapon, which looks like a sword as it bonds with Makenna. The girl wakes, assuming that she’s dreaming, and the fairies explain that her new brother and sister will be born tomorrow. They are hope incarnate, and Makenna must protect them against villainous forces, namely Sir Seaton, war profiteer and head of Natasi Industries. He sends his beautiful but deadly associates, Ms. Chevious and Ms. Creante, from their London headquarters to collect the twins. Luckily, Makenna can focus the power of the Ancient Weapon as she chooses, and she does so through her new lowrider skateboard. In his novel, Bialys introduces a spunky protagonist who’s fun to root for as she deals with rival classmate (and skating champ) Heather Stern; the twins’ creepy nanny, Ms. Revel; and, later, reptilian demons. Aside from the fairies, Makenna gets help from Fluffy, a talking worm, and Stephen Levine, a dreamy Canadian transfer student. The author reveals that some characters aren’t who they initially appear to be, which should keep middle-grade audiences alert. He also educates as he connects the Virago legacy to King Arthur, the monarch’s sword Excalibur, and the story of David, who felled Goliath with a slingshot. The notion that children can change the world by channeling their passion through an object has broad appeal in reality and further potential as a narrative device. The finale featuring an actual Highway to Hell should amuse anyone who’s driven in Los Angeles. The overall likability of this series opener should secure readership for the sequel.
This zany adventure flaunts a heart of gold and a plucky heroine.Pub Date: March 21, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-692-06098-8
Page Count: 124
Publisher: CreateSpace
Review Posted Online: May 18, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2018
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
Well-drawn characters and playful twists keep this thriller fully charged.
This YA SF novel features a teen who must halt a virus that will kill two-thirds of humanity.
In Silver Oak, Maryland, Alice Sherman is a high school junior enjoying lunch near her campus basketball court. With her is Archie, her brother, a senior and science prodigy who likes equations more than his fellow students. Alice has been Archie’s one true friend since their mother left six years ago. Alice is about to catch up with Lalana Bunyasarn, her best friend, when a sudden “streak of electricity zaps through” her head. The agony intensifies until a Voice enters Alice’s mind, asking her, “Do you want this pain to stop?” The Voice then instructs her to go up to Bandit Sakda, a classmate playing basketball, and say that she loves him. Bandit is a beautiful Thai boy who’s talented and arrogant. Strangely, the Voice calls her Malice and says not to fall for him because “it’ll only make what you have to do later harder.” Eventually, Alice learns that the Voice belongs to someone from 10 years in the future who needs help saving humanity. A virus will be created by a person Alice knows that will wipe out two-thirds of the world population. Following the Voice’s directions can save everyone—except the person Alice is ordered to kill. Dunn’s (Star-Crossed, 2018, etc.) latest YA adventure offers increasingly tantalizing twists that gleam in succession like nested matryoshka dolls. Alice will charm readers with her quirks, especially her devotion to Chris Hemsworth of Marvel’s Avengers films. Tension builds as characters in the large cast, including crushworthy Zeke Cain and the brilliant Cristela Ruiz, become potential targets for Alice’s mission. Details about Thai culture add a splendid dimension to the narrative; for example, Bandit is pronounced “bun-dit” and means “one who is wise.” While the notion of a high school killer may not sit well with some, the author doesn’t use the device lightly. Her book takes a strong anti-bullying stance, doing so through an entertaining narrative that doesn’t resort to preaching. The author’s heart and craftiness make a sequel welcome.
Well-drawn characters and playful twists keep this thriller fully charged.Pub Date: Feb. 4, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-64063-412-1
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Entangled Teen
Review Posted Online: Jan. 16, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2020
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Any moral that may be gleaned from the tangled narrative is buried in confusion. (Fantasy. YA)
A convoluted fantasy offering a series of morals about justice, mercy, human treatment of animals and human treatment of other humans.
A cluster of animals have been educated by a World War II veteran and his activist wife. The animals, a now-vegetarian mix of carnivores, herbivores and omnivores, live in harmony on Cloudburst Mountain. Following their scriptures (the Bible, Animal Farm and judgments such as “Humans Are Evil”), they plan for the day when they will kill all the humans and rule the world. The tale follows the adventures of their coyote prophet Justice and human ally Cody as they travel the United States preparing other animals for “The Rebellion.” Though they meet mostly repellent, violent humans and mistreated animals, they also encounter enough well-meaning, victimized humans to make Cody question his alliance with the cause of human genocide. Meanwhile, the grandson of the original human missionaries to the animals threatens the entire endeavor as he plans to mine the mountain for uranium. Ultimately, the animals succeed in murdering the vast majority of the human race, giving them hope for a shining new day. This overly complex tale is dense with purple prose and far too many extraneous characters–for example, Gordon “Raindance” Fell, the Shadow Shaman of the Pokihallah tribe; and Forest Victor, who appears for the first time late in the story, saying of his never-mentioned-before dead wife, “if only her hatred of the evil deeds of the baby seal killers hadn’t drawn her and her cameras into a combative stance.”
Any moral that may be gleaned from the tangled narrative is buried in confusion. (Fantasy. YA)Pub Date: June 21, 2006
ISBN: 0-595-39274-1
Page Count: -
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: May 23, 2010
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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