Action-packed yet intimate; sets the stage for a truly epic next installment.
Following a royal kidnapping and amid widespread fear of magic, the tenuous alliance between Emberfall and Syhl Shallow is tested by violent attacks on both sides of the border.
In this sequel to 2022’s Forging Silver Into Stars, the three narrators are separated, and the stakes are even higher. Callyn, now a lady-in-waiting at the Crystal Palace, gradually embraces her own newly discovered abilities in secret. She reluctantly becomes the queen’s liaison to the arrogant Lord Alek, her one-time lover whose loyalty to the queen is matched only by his hatred of magic. Jax, a skilled archer and blacksmith, hoped his new job at Ironrose Castle would deepen his discreet romance with King’s Courier Tycho, but he finds himself alone and dependent on the few Emberish speakers after Tycho’s duties force his return to Syhl Shallow. Tycho, whose magic has been flaring due to past traumas, struggles to regulate his emotions—and his power—under the guidance of the scraver Nakiis, a magical winged being whose harrowing past helps explain why scravers are leaving the ice forests of Iishellasa to attack humans. Kemmerer thoughtfully structures each protagonist’s narrative arc, balancing plot-driving action with the exploration of resonant questions of loyalty, trust, and forgiveness that deftly model the often-uncomfortable process of reevaluating core beliefs when presented with new perspectives. Main characters read white; Jax walks with crutches before he’s fitted for a prosthetic foot.
Action-packed yet intimate; sets the stage for a truly epic next installment. (maps, character list) (Fantasy. 14-18)Pub Date: Jan. 28, 2025
ISBN: 9781547610105
Page Count: 496
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Review Posted Online: Oct. 11, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: today
A thrilling, beautifully written page-turner.
A young woman pursues a dangerous quest in late-1800s Egypt in this sequel to What the River Knows (2023).
After Inez Olivera was nearly murdered while assisting with her uncle’s archaeological expedition in Egypt, Tío Ricardo is eager to ship her home to safety in Argentina. But Inez burns with the need to stay and make sure that those who committed crimes against her family are held responsible. Unfortunately, the law precludes Inez, as a young unmarried woman, from accessing her inheritance (needed to fund her quest for justice) without her guardian uncle’s permission. Whitford Hayes, a former British soldier and her tío’s aide-de-camp, proposes marriage, which could solve her problems. But can Inez trust the secretive Whit? More danger and intrigue lurk at every turn in this exciting duology closer, which fully addresses the first entry’s jaw-dropping cliffhanger. The well-paced plot encompasses many fresh, new adventures and betrayals in this reimagined historical setting in which ancient magic abounds and not everyone or everything is what it seems. Even more captivating, however, is the complicated, nuanced love story between Whit and Inez. Their chemistry sizzles, but their relationship is achingly layered with both profound loyalty and deep deception. As their journey unearths new enemies and priceless archaeological finds, the duo must try to trust each other enough to survive.
A thrilling, beautifully written page-turner. (cast of characters, map, timeline) (Historical fantasy. 14-18)Pub Date: Nov. 5, 2024
ISBN: 9781250822994
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Wednesday Books
Review Posted Online: Aug. 17, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2024
There’s not much plot here, but readers will relish the opportunity to climb inside Autumn’s head.
The finely drawn characters capture readers’ attention in this debut.
Autumn and Phineas, nicknamed Finny, were born a week apart; their mothers are still best friends. Growing up, Autumn and Finny were like peas in a pod despite their differences: Autumn is “quirky and odd,” while Finny is “sweet and shy and everyone like[s] him.” But in eighth grade, Autumn and Finny stop being friends due to an unexpected kiss. They drift apart and find new friends, but their friendship keeps asserting itself at parties, shared holiday gatherings and random encounters. In the summer after graduation, Autumn and Finny reconnect and are finally ready to be more than friends. But on August 8, everything changes, and Autumn has to rely on all her strength to move on. Autumn’s coming-of-age is sensitively chronicled, with a wide range of experiences and events shaping her character. Even secondary characters are well-rounded, with their own histories and motivations.
There’s not much plot here, but readers will relish the opportunity to climb inside Autumn’s head. (Fiction. 14 & up)Pub Date: April 1, 2013
ISBN: 978-1-4022-7782-5
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Review Posted Online: Feb. 12, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2013
BOOK REVIEW
SEEN & HEARD
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