A promising start to a fantastical adventure.
Two youths from opposite sides of a divided kingdom unexpectedly come into power in Weems’ YA fantasy novel.
In the rigidly stratified Balkan kingdom, a boy called Zaki turns 14, his Calling Day finally come. He must travel to the great desert city of Garu to stand in the Hall of Inquiry and be tested to determine if he is Gifted or not. As a member of the Barren caste, the odds of Zaki being Gifted with magical powers are close to zero, as the Barren haven’t produced a single Gifted in over a century. But when Zaki’s time comes, unimaginable amounts of power course through his veins, establishing him as a powerful Gifted and breaking the oppressed Barren’s unlucky streak. All eyes in the kingdom are now on him, including the Gifted within the ruling Conclaveand the Uppers, the kingdom’s most powerful citizens. Up in the Northern Wilds, a young teenage girl named Emlyn gets lost while out with her sister foraging in the woods. Her misadventure leads to a staggering discovery about King Balkus, an ostensibly benign monarch on a mission to unite the world; he is the most potent Gifted in existence. Emlyn inherits enormous might, just as Zaki did on the other side of the kingdom. As Zaki and Emlyn navigate the intricacies of power and politics, their developing skills may well turn the very foundation of their world upside down. With a narrative that primarily follows Zaki and Emlyn on their parallel journeys, this meticulously crafted introduction to a new fantasy series features well-developed characters, an adventurous plot, and an interesting magic system that underscores the politics and social structure of the haves and have-nots: “He would not give her the satisfaction of his failure. He would deny them all. Here in this Hall of Inquiry, this pain and everyone watching him represented the world pushing him down. He was expected to fail. Yet he reached with every fiber of his being for the unexpected.”The mysteries and magic within this tale are sure to tantalize readers.
A promising start to a fantastical adventure.Pub Date: N/A
ISBN: 9798371736901
Page Count: 298
Publisher: Self
Review Posted Online: March 17, 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
BOOK REVIEW
A delicious winter romance that shimmers with classic fairy-tale magic.
An 18-year-old’s encounter with the pale, mysterious, golden-eyed Starmaker transforms her from hamlet girl to magical apprentice.
Aurora Finch discovers she possesses the rare ability to channel sunlight—magic essential to the survival of snow-covered Reverie, her mountain village, “with peaks so high the Sun [cannot] rise above them.” Now she faces a harsh choice: Leave everything behind to train at the Starmaker’s enchanted castle or die as the untapped magic destroys her from within. Griffin excels at worldbuilding; the story is filled with elements and characters that feel both whimsical and real, from Tilly, a living snow angel who’s searching for herself, to Constance, an immortal rabbit. As the antagonism between Aurora and the cold, centuries-old Starmaker melts, their love story, which forms the heart of this tale, crackles with tension. Aurora emerges as a compelling hero—stubborn and brave—who refuses to be diminished by the overwhelming responsibilities thrust upon her. The romantic storyline proves both strong and emotionally involving as the author brings fresh twists to familiar elements, exploring the power of stories and how they shape our understanding of the world. White-presenting Aurora faces a devastating truth that creates urgency and heightens the emotional stakes that drive the story to its conclusion. This satisfying, sparkling fantasy will capture hearts with its well-developed setting and captivating love story.
A delicious winter romance that shimmers with classic fairy-tale magic. (author’s note) (Fantasy. 14-18)Pub Date: Feb. 17, 2026
ISBN: 9781728256184
Page Count: 448
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Review Posted Online: Oct. 10, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2025
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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