A fast-moving fantasy tale with memorable, engaging characters.
The second entry in a YA series that combines Norse mythology and magic-school fantasy.
Fourteen-year-old red-haired Minerva Pearlstar is a heksen, or witch, who’s a student at a magical boarding school called Asgard. There, she shares a room with her best friends, Alice and Nancy, and her talking mynah, Count Gracula. The school is just outside Midgard, Maine, a replica Viking village that disguises a town full of magical beings—including elves and shape-shifting mages—as a tourist attraction. In the book’s opening scene, Minerva finds an unusual, blood-red gemstone at the bottom of a frigid lake while practicing Skulling, a Quidditch-like underwater sport, with her school team. The stone feels oddly warm and seems to pulsate, and she immediately senses that it’s important—and dangerous. What follows is an action-filled tale of battles and intrigue among magical factions, pitting the followers of the powerful witch-queen against those who are secretly working to foil her evil plans, including Minerva and her friends. Meanwhile, Minerva is ensnared in a magical bond with the queen’s son, Prince Thorn, whom she initially detests. The story offers numerous twists as Minerva makes surprising discoveries about the histories of the gods, mages, and heksen; her role in their ancient prophecies; her teachers’ and friends’ true forms and abilities; and a clandestine romance. The magic-school setting and numerous fantasy creatures—such as gargoyles, kelpies, undines, fairies, gnomes, nymphs, and the horrifying, undead draugr—are likely to particularly appeal to fans of the Harry Potter series. Those who are unfamiliar with Norse mythology or haven’t read the previous installment, Minerva Pearlstar and the Weavers of Fate (2022), may have difficulty making sense of the complicated backstory, which is only explained in bits and pieces. Overall, though, the writing is vivid, the action engaging, and the characters well drawn. Readers will be eager to find out about Minerva’s next adventure.
A fast-moving fantasy tale with memorable, engaging characters.Pub Date: N/A
ISBN: N/A
Page Count: 241
Publisher: Manuscript
Review Posted Online: Oct. 19, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2023
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
An ode to the children of migrants who have been taken away.
A Mexican American boy takes on heavy responsibilities when his family is torn apart.
Mateo’s life is turned upside down the day U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents show up unsuccessfully seeking his Pa at his New York City bodega. The Garcias live in fear until the day both parents are picked up; his Pa is taken to jail and his Ma to a detention center. The adults around Mateo offer support to him and his 7-year-old sister, Sophie, however, he knows he is now responsible for caring for her and the bodega as well as trying to survive junior year—that is, if he wants to fulfill his dream to enter the drama program at the Tisch School of the Arts and become an actor. Mateo’s relationships with his friends Kimmie and Adam (a potential love interest) also suffer repercussions as he keeps his situation a secret. Kimmie is half Korean (her other half is unspecified) and Adam is Italian American; Mateo feels disconnected from them, less American, and with worries they can’t understand. He talks himself out of choosing a safer course of action, a decision that deepens the story. Mateo’s self-awareness and inner monologue at times make him seem older than 16, and, with significant turmoil in the main plot, some side elements feel underdeveloped. Aleman’s narrative joins the ranks of heart-wrenching stories of migrant families who have been separated.
An ode to the children of migrants who have been taken away. (Fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: May 4, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-7595-5605-8
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: Feb. 22, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2021
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
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