A well-balanced and captivating stand-alone fantasy.
A young nobleman struggles to find peace after surviving a plague and imprisonment in a neighboring kingdom.
To settle 50 years of war between their kingdoms, Princess Jehan of Brisa marries King Rayan of Oliveras, and together they sign a peace treaty. When Oliveras’ capital city, Elvira, is overwhelmed by a pestilence that leaves many dead, the king and queen are offered refuge in Palmerin by their friend Lord Ventillas. It has been three years since Lord Cassia and his personal guard were ambushed and captured by Brisan soldiers. Scarred, alone, and possessing an inexplicable ability to see ghosts, Cas journeys home to reunite with Ventillas, his older brother, and on the day of his arrival in Palmerin, he rescues the royal couple’s infant son from a deadly assassin. When others close to Queen Jehan are targeted, Cas and Lena, an aspiring historian and King Rayan’s younger sister, trace the killer’s steps—but when they search the queen’s past for answers, they uncover a harrowing secret that could threaten the fate of the kingdom. Lucier wastes no time in this gripping mystery: Every twist is carefully plotted, and the worldbuilding is intricate yet effortless. Each of Cas’ relationships, even those with the spirits he encounters, is distinct, and, like him, readers will find it difficult to judge who is trustworthy. Most characters have black or brown hair and dark eyes; the few mentions of skin tone reference bronze and golden complexions.
A well-balanced and captivating stand-alone fantasy. (Fantasy. 13-18)Pub Date: Nov. 9, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-358-27209-0
Page Count: 352
Publisher: Clarion/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: July 26, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2021
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
Truly fantastic.
This dark fantasy duology opener has a magic school, a death, and five students who find themselves stranded in the wilderness.
Ren Monroe is a promising student wizard at Balmerick, a private school in the city of Kathor. Along with her best friend, Timmons, Ren is one of the few welfare students attending on a scholarship, and despite being one of the most accomplished people at the school, finding a placement in one of the top houses is proving difficult and is a hurdle in the way of the secret mission Ren has set out to accomplish. When a portal spell goes awry and Ren, Timmons, and four other students from different walks of life are thrown together into the Dires, an uncharted land where the last dragons lived, one of them ends up dead and the rest need to learn to work together to make their way back home before they succumb to the harsh environment or the terrifying revenant following them. This may well be the chance Ren was looking for to prove her worth. Placing elements of a locked-room mystery and an original magic system within the familiar trappings of a school for magic, this is a no-holds-barred tale of revenge, atonement, and the pursuit of justice set in a world diverse in skin color and social classes. Ren is a protagonist for the ages: equal parts smart, calculating, and ruthless, forming a lethal package as an avenging angel.
Truly fantastic. (Fantasy. 14-18)Pub Date: March 28, 2023
ISBN: 978-1-66591-868-8
Page Count: 368
Publisher: McElderry
Review Posted Online: Dec. 13, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2023
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