Drags a bit despite the grand reveals but still offers hope for an epic sequel.
Mary struggles with the aftermath of the Battle at Miracle Lake.
Mary Elizabeth had a found family in boyfriend James, best friend Ursula, and tentative acquaintance Mally. After they were kidnapped and injected with experimental magic, returning as villains in the Battle at Miracle Lake, Mary’s old life disappeared. Now, she struggles to continue her quest for justice and equity in the Scar without her support system, her Monarch police department internship, or even high school after being sent home for associating with people who are perceived as unruly and villainous elements. As life in the Scar becomes more restricted in the name of unity, with the banning of words like magic and legacy, the imposition of a curfew, and the creation of a surveillance and enforcement task force, Mary seeks a cure for the Wrong Magic as well as for the insidious, reprimanding voice inside her head. The discussion of social inequities under a police state is simple but impactful, as is the use of political clout to bring people together against the villains. The underlying themes of trauma, societal corruption, friendship, and family bonds are overshadowed by the slow-moving mystery, but many readers will still find them relatable. Contrasting Mary’s sense of self against her negative internal voice is intriguing at first but drags on for too long. Mary is assumed White in a somewhat diverse cast.
Drags a bit despite the grand reveals but still offers hope for an epic sequel. (Fantasy. 12-16)Pub Date: May 31, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-368-04939-9
Page Count: 240
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Review Posted Online: March 28, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2022
Dark, seductive, but over-the-top: Characters and book alike will enthrall those who choose to play.
Garber returns to the world of bestseller Caraval (2017), this time with the focus on younger, more daring sister Donatella.
Valenda, capital of the empire, is host to the second of Legend’s magical games in a single year, and while Scarlett doesn’t want to play again, blonde Tella is eager for a chance to prove herself. She is haunted by the memory of her death in the last game and by the cursed Deck of Destiny she used as a child which foretold her loveless future. Garber has changed many of the rules of her expanding world, which now appears to be infused with magic and evil Fates. Despite a weak plot and ultraviolet prose (“He tasted like exquisite nightmares and stolen dreams, like the wings of fallen angels, and bottles of fresh moonlight.”), this is a tour de force of imagination. Themes of love, betrayal, and the price of magic (and desire) swirl like Caraval’s enchantments, and Dante’s sensuous kisses will thrill readers as much as they do Tella. The convoluted machinations of the Prince of Hearts (one of the Fates), Legend, and even the empress serve as the impetus for Tella’s story and set up future volumes which promise to go bigger. With descriptions focusing primarily on clothing, characters’ ethnicities are often indeterminate.
Dark, seductive, but over-the-top: Characters and book alike will enthrall those who choose to play. (glossary) (Fantasy. 12-16)Pub Date: May 29, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-250-09531-2
Page Count: 464
Publisher: Flatiron Books
Review Posted Online: March 19, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2018
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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
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