Well-developed characters enliven an absorbing novel that promises a bewitching saga to come.
A teenager must confront an evil that has ties to 17th-century witch hunts in Goodwin’s YA fantasy novel, the first of a prospective series.
After losing their father, 14-year-old Nate Watson and his 12-year-old brother, Marc, go to live with their paternal aunt, whom they didn’t know existed. They move from New York City and settle into Aunt Celia’s Windsor, Connecticut, home and community for the better part of a year. But a locked room—the only place in Celia’s home that’s off-limits—is impossible for them to ignore, especially after Nate overhears his aunt having a conversation with someone there that indicates that she’s keeping secrets from the boys. When the brothers later peek inside, they find books about demonology and witches, as well as a small, metal representation of a snake that wraps itself around Nate’s wrist. They also inadvertently unleash an imprisoned menace named Malleus Hodge, who threatens Nate’s friends and family in a bid to get the bracelet. Nate learns that he’s up against dark “magick” and evil creatures, connected to the Watson family and centuries-old New England witch trials. Fortunately, he, Marc, and Celia have allies to help combat their sinister, daunting foe. Goodwin ably weaves real-life history into this swiftly paced narrative; intermittent chapters set in the mid-1600s reference the first-known person executed for witchcraft in the American colonies. This plotline intertwines with those of Nate’s family and the villain they’re determined to stop, and the periodically tightening bracelet serves as a constant reminder that time is short. A host of appealing characters make up the cast; at one point, for example, Nate and his pal Jenn Quigley appealingly challenge a hulking school bully, and Marc is amusingly curious throughout. For a series opener, the author supplies a wealth of details, including backstories and insight into various types of magick. The final act offers some closure while also revealing a few surprises that could kickstart a sequel.
Well-developed characters enliven an absorbing novel that promises a bewitching saga to come.Pub Date: Sept. 12, 2023
ISBN: 9798886450903
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Greenleaf Book Group Press
Review Posted Online: Nov. 1, 2023
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
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
BOOK REVIEW
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