The unusual blend of magical medieval mystery and disaster lite offers an effervescent but not explosive read.
Elodie takes the stage again as a mansioner (actor) and assistant detective when a mystery interrupts her homeward journey and imperils her friends in this sequel to A Tale of Two Castles (2011).
Having survived seasickness, robbery, unemployment and accusations of assassination in her first five weeks away from home, Elodie leaves the big city of Two Castles with the gentle, shape-shifting ogre known as Count Jonty Um and the erudite but illiterate dragon Masteress Meenore, intending to reassure her parents of her safety and good fortune. When a snowstorm strands the trio at the mountain hall of Oase, they discover that the Replica that keeps the island together and the volcanoes dormant is gone, and Zertrum will soon explode. Elodie dives into detective work, eager to save the island and prove her powers to Meenore, but the other guests are hostile, the host, High Brunka Marya, is an irritatingly enigmatic magical creature, and her human “bees” are less dronelike than their title of servitude suggests. The narrative shifts among Elodie, Jonty Um and Meenore are distracting, dilute an already thin plot, and in Meenore’s case, run counter to previously established characterization. Despite the meager mystery, Levine still offers a detailed magical world, high-stakes action, and arch observations of family tensions and racial divides.
The unusual blend of magical medieval mystery and disaster lite offers an effervescent but not explosive read. (Fantasy. 10-14)Pub Date: April 21, 2015
ISBN: 978-0-06-170637-0
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Jan. 19, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2015
Rich and strange (and kitted out with an eye-catching cover), but stronger in the set pieces than the internal logic.
Chainani works an elaborate sea change akin to Gregory Maguire’s Wicked (1995), though he leaves the waters muddied.
Every four years, two children, one regarded as particularly nice and the other particularly nasty, are snatched from the village of Gavaldon by the shadowy School Master to attend the divided titular school. Those who survive to graduate become major or minor characters in fairy tales. When it happens to sweet, Disney princess–like Sophie and her friend Agatha, plain of features, sour of disposition and low of self-esteem, they are both horrified to discover that they’ve been dropped not where they expect but at Evil and at Good respectively. Gradually—too gradually, as the author strings out hundreds of pages of Hogwarts-style pranks, classroom mishaps and competitions both academic and romantic—it becomes clear that the placement wasn’t a mistake at all. Growing into their true natures amid revelations and marked physical changes, the two spark escalating rivalry between the wings of the school. This leads up to a vicious climactic fight that sees Good and Evil repeatedly switching sides. At this point, readers are likely to feel suddenly left behind, as, thanks to summary deus ex machina resolutions, everything turns out swell(ish).
Rich and strange (and kitted out with an eye-catching cover), but stronger in the set pieces than the internal logic. (Fantasy. 11-13)Pub Date: May 14, 2013
ISBN: 978-0-06-210489-2
Page Count: 496
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Feb. 12, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2013
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK TO SCREEN
A charming setting and appealing premise are let down by uneven execution.
For generations, the heirs of the Feast and Famine families have dueled for control over the land of Fauret and the coveted guardianship of the demon Centurion.
Twelve-year-old Rue Famine is expected to succeed where her mother failed, but insufficient training has left her fumbling to master the simplest charms. Her curiosity about the Feasts’ legendary sweets leads Rue to a chance sighting of Merriment Feast, the sparkling embodiment of her family’s decadent reign. Merri has been training with her guardian, Aunt Ambrosia, in hopes of continuing the Feasts’ dominance, but her interest in learning the Famines’ potion work proves a catalyst for the heirs’ parallel paths to cross. As hidden histories and family secrets come to light, it becomes clear that the long-divided houses must reunite. Debut author Finn’s series opener is dense, and the alternating third-person narration struggles due to Rue’s and Merri’s voices being insufficiently distinct. Social class disparities are a central theme in this magical world, which evokes Studio Ghibli films, complete with quaint shops, talking cats, and a collection of entertainingly cagey and mercurial demons. At first, the lore required for effective worldbuilding is limited, while later in the book, a reveal is repeated without sufficient backstory. While the leads are well developed, the late introduction of explanatory information about supporting characters could pose a challenge to young readers’ comprehension. Most characters present white.
A charming setting and appealing premise are let down by uneven execution. (recipe) (Fantasy. 10-13)Pub Date: Jan. 28, 2025
ISBN: 9781728298337
Page Count: 288
Publisher: Sourcebooks Young Readers
Review Posted Online: Nov. 9, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2024
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