The promise of more clashing action will have readers clamoring for the next book.
Altruistic orphan Lann is destined to be paired with the Dreadblade, a magical, deadly sword that demands fidelity of its bearer as it eliminates evil.
After his mother dies in childbirth and his father is fatally attacked by a wolfish creature, humble Lann takes refuge with the witch Fleya. While there, Lann learns that her sister was his birth mother and receives a visit from Rakur, a trickster god who gives him the Dreadblade. Now Fleya and Lann, plus Dreadblade, are driven to save Stromgard from a conspiracy as well as from the monsters from the Void. All of this is orchestrated by the vengeful prince Kelewulf and the villainous sorcerer Yirgan. Kelewulf is determined to ruin the Rivengeld royals with dark Art and gain power. The tropes are familiar but don’t feel formulaic thanks to a cast of characters with well-developed backstories. Even Kelewulf is viewed with sympathy by his cousin, King Erik. Historical events are seamlessly interspersed with present-day action, contests fought at close range, and a hint of romance, leaving readers cheering for the hero. Lann maintains his appealing humanity because it is the Dreadblade who identifies the evil, allowing Lann to make peace with delivering justice. Kelewulf’s comeuppance will have to wait since the book ends with a cliffhanger. In this Scandivanian-inspired setting, characters default to white.
The promise of more clashing action will have readers clamoring for the next book. (map) (Fantasy. 12-15)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-4088-7339-7
Page Count: 352
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Review Posted Online: June 14, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2020
BOOK REVIEW
Despite the stale fat-to-curvy pattern, compelling world building with a Southern European, pseudo-Christian feel,...
Adventure drags our heroine all over the map of fantasyland while giving her the opportunity to use her smarts.
Elisa—Princess Lucero-Elisa de Riqueza of Orovalle—has been chosen for Service since the day she was born, when a beam of holy light put a Godstone in her navel. She's a devout reader of holy books and is well-versed in the military strategy text Belleza Guerra, but she has been kept in ignorance of world affairs. With no warning, this fat, self-loathing princess is married off to a distant king and is embroiled in political and spiritual intrigue. War is coming, and perhaps only Elisa's Godstone—and knowledge from the Belleza Guerra—can save them. Elisa uses her untried strategic knowledge to always-good effect. With a character so smart that she doesn't have much to learn, body size is stereotypically substituted for character development. Elisa’s "mountainous" body shrivels away when she spends a month on forced march eating rat, and thus she is a better person. Still, it's wonderfully refreshing to see a heroine using her brain to win a war rather than strapping on a sword and charging into battle.
Despite the stale fat-to-curvy pattern, compelling world building with a Southern European, pseudo-Christian feel, reminiscent of Naomi Kritzer's Fires of the Faithful (2002), keeps this entry fresh. (Fantasy. 12-14)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2011
ISBN: 978-0-06-202648-4
Page Count: 432
Publisher: Greenwillow Books
Review Posted Online: July 19, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2011
This is no didactic near-future warning of present evils, but a cinematic adventure featuring endearing, compelling heroes
A gripping thriller in dystopic future Los Angeles.
Fifteen-year-olds June and Day live completely different lives in the glorious Republic. June is rich and brilliant, the only candidate ever to get a perfect score in the Trials, and is destined for a glowing career in the military. She looks forward to the day when she can join up and fight the Republic’s treacherous enemies east of the Dakotas. Day, on the other hand, is an anonymous street rat, a slum child who failed his own Trial. He's also the Republic's most wanted criminal, prone to stealing from the rich and giving to the poor. When tragedies strike both their families, the two brilliant teens are thrown into direct opposition. In alternating first-person narratives, Day and June experience coming-of-age adventures in the midst of spying, theft and daredevil combat. Their voices are distinct and richly drawn, from Day’s self-deprecating affection for others to June's Holmesian attention to detail. All the flavor of a post-apocalyptic setting—plagues, class warfare, maniacal soldiers—escalates to greater complexity while leaving space for further worldbuilding in the sequel.
This is no didactic near-future warning of present evils, but a cinematic adventure featuring endearing, compelling heroes . (Science fiction. 12-14)Pub Date: Nov. 29, 2011
ISBN: 978-0-399-25675-2
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Putnam
Review Posted Online: April 8, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2011
BOOK TO SCREEN
© 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.
