Extraordinary fantasy tales of an otherworldly place, both curious and alluring.
Assorted characters navigate a canal city overflowing with magic in Amundsen’s debut short-story collection.
Chalmach, the capital city of Roq, may be “the world’s wonder”; it’s made up of canals and features three tiers accessible by elevators. In “Once Upon a Story,” Silian is a tour guide who knows the city well, having been practically raised on a gondola. His latest client, a historian, requests to undergo the “trial of the Mother,” which involves visiting a series of shrines. Her reference is a mysterious book that, she implies, holds more knowledge than what Silian’s grandfather has passed down. The five tales included here all unfold in Chalmach, where “alhmeir” (essentially magic) is fairly common. In “Better the Beshrew You Know,” 12-year-old Arani and his little sister Biun stay at an orphanage after the old man caring for them dies. The old man taught them alhmeir, and while the siblings try to downplay what they’ve learned, some dubious people suspect that Arani and Biun are highly skilled. Amundsen’s pithy tales, set against the backdrop of an astonishing city, highlight a cast of relatable characters; a kindly shop owner assists an elderly regular customer in “The Scent,” and introverted librarian Dendrik looks forward to his day off in “Under the Surface.” The book overall is deliberately paced, and alhmeir is often used subtly, from memory-triggering vials to Silian’s “willing” of some alhmeir into his oar (a bit of help to keep him on course). The stories take different routes—they may include a romantic turn, end on an ominous note, or spawn a taut action scene. Brarud’s exemplary artwork boasts full-color (and disappointingly few) depictions of such sights as Dendrik’s impressive personal library and a lower-tiered Chalmach canal beneath a raging waterfall (where, above, sits the next-level tier).
Extraordinary fantasy tales of an otherworldly place, both curious and alluring.Pub Date: Jan. 2, 2025
ISBN: 9788269394924
Page Count: 217
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: April 8, 2025
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Unrelenting, and not in a good way.
A young Navarrian woman faces even greater challenges in her second year at dragon-riding school.
Violet Sorrengail did all the normal things one would do as a first-year student at Basgiath War College: made new friends, fell in love, and survived multiple assassination attempts. She was also the first rider to ever bond with two dragons: Tairn, a powerful black dragon with a distinguished battle history, and Andarna, a baby dragon too young to carry a rider. At the end of Fourth Wing (2023), Violet and her lover, Xaden Riorson, discovered that Navarre is under attack from wyvern, evil two-legged dragons, and venin, soulless monsters that harvest energy from the ground. Navarrians had always been told that these were monsters of legend and myth, not real creatures dangerously close to breaking through Navarre’s wards and attacking civilian populations. In this overly long sequel, Violet, Xaden, and their dragons are determined to find a way to protect Navarre, despite the fact that the army and government hid the truth about these creatures. Due to the machinations of several traitorous instructors at Basgiath, Xaden and Violet are separated for most of the book—he’s stationed at a distant outpost, leaving her to handle the treacherous, cutthroat world of the war college on her own. Violet is repeatedly threatened by her new vice commandant, a brutal man who wants to silence her. Although Violet and her dragons continue to model extreme bravery, the novel feels repetitive and more than a little sloppy, leaving obvious questions about the world unanswered. The book is full of action and just as full of plot holes, including scenes that are illogical or disconnected from the main narrative. Secondary characters are ignored until a scene requires them to assist Violet or to be killed in the endless violence that plagues their school.
Unrelenting, and not in a good way.Pub Date: Nov. 7, 2023
ISBN: 9781649374172
Page Count: 640
Publisher: Red Tower
Review Posted Online: Jan. 20, 2024
SEEN & HEARD
SEEN & HEARD
SEEN & HEARD
Read this for the action-packed plot, not character development or worldbuilding.
On the orders of her mother, a woman goes to dragon-riding school.
Even though her mother is a general in Navarre’s army, 20-year-old Violet Sorrengail was raised by her father to follow his path as a scribe. After his death, though, Violet's mother shocks her by forcing her to enter the elite and deadly dragon rider academy at Basgiath War College. Most students die at the War College: during training sessions, at the hands of their classmates, or by the very dragons they hope to one day be paired with. From Day One, Violet is targeted by her classmates, some because they hate her mother, others because they think she’s too physically frail to succeed. She must survive a daily gauntlet of physical challenges and the deadly attacks of classmates, which she does with the help of secret knowledge handed down by her two older siblings, who'd been students there before her. Violet is at the mercy of the plot rather than being in charge of it, hurtling through one obstacle after another. As a result, the story is action-packed and fast-paced, but Violet is a strange mix of pure competence and total passivity, always managing to come out on the winning side. The book is categorized as romantasy, with Violet pulled between the comforting love she feels from her childhood best friend, Dain Aetos, and the incendiary attraction she feels for family enemy Xaden Riorson. However, the way Dain constantly undermines Violet's abilities and his lack of character development make this an unconvincing storyline. The plots and subplots aren’t well-integrated, with the first half purely focused on Violet’s training, followed by a brief detour for romance, and then a final focus on outside threats.
Read this for the action-packed plot, not character development or worldbuilding.Pub Date: May 2, 2023
ISBN: 9781649374042
Page Count: 528
Publisher: Red Tower
Review Posted Online: Jan. 12, 2024
SEEN & HEARD
BOOK TO SCREEN
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