An exciting and magical Jewish urban fantasy novel.
In Gold’s debut novel, a young man must come to terms with his Jewish identity as he finds his place in New York City’s hidden world of demons and secret religious orders.
Arthur Rose, born Aaron, is a college student at Excelsior State Universitywho loves heavy metal and epic adventure stories and pines for his ex-girlfriend. He also deeply resents his Jewish background and has dyed his hair blond and changed his first name to craft a new identity. At a young age, his mother was murdered by a skinhead, and he was sent by his Hasidic father to live with his uncle. Arthur’s estrangement from his Jewish heritage runs deep: “As far as he sees it, the only thing bequeathed to Arthur’s people is the title of loser in a battle that doesn’t end.” When his father dies, however, the young man is involuntarily given “the Sight so that you may gaze beyond flesh and through spirit” and inducted into Sanhedrin, a secret organization of Jewish mages charged with protecting the world from evil spiritual forces. Before long, a powerful, sluglike demon named Igrat appears, intent on resurrecting her even more powerful demonic spouse, and Arthur is thrust into a high-stakes adventure in which his desire to use physical violence to protect those he loves clashes with the Sanhedrin’s opposition to killing. Gold’s novel boasts an impressive suite of characters, and the Sanhedrin members present a range of approaches to Jewish practice. The worldbuilding is elaborate and engaging, setting the stage for what could easily become a compelling and gritty fantasy series. Although some of the pacing is a bit uneven—some of Arthur’s many interior passages drag a bit—the narrative gradually reveals characters’ backstories in surprising ways. There’s much ground here that’s been covered in other stories, but Gold (and even Arthur himself) are clearly aware of the genre’s conventions. The novel is at its strongest when it explores whether and how the stories of the Jewish people map onto the classic tale of the hero’s journey.
An exciting and magical Jewish urban fantasy novel.Pub Date: Nov. 19, 2024
ISBN: 9781961511880
Page Count: 420
Publisher: Histria Books
Review Posted Online: Dec. 16, 2024
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Unrelenting, and not in a good way.
A young Navarrian woman faces even greater challenges in her second year at dragon-riding school.
Violet Sorrengail did all the normal things one would do as a first-year student at Basgiath War College: made new friends, fell in love, and survived multiple assassination attempts. She was also the first rider to ever bond with two dragons: Tairn, a powerful black dragon with a distinguished battle history, and Andarna, a baby dragon too young to carry a rider. At the end of Fourth Wing (2023), Violet and her lover, Xaden Riorson, discovered that Navarre is under attack from wyvern, evil two-legged dragons, and venin, soulless monsters that harvest energy from the ground. Navarrians had always been told that these were monsters of legend and myth, not real creatures dangerously close to breaking through Navarre’s wards and attacking civilian populations. In this overly long sequel, Violet, Xaden, and their dragons are determined to find a way to protect Navarre, despite the fact that the army and government hid the truth about these creatures. Due to the machinations of several traitorous instructors at Basgiath, Xaden and Violet are separated for most of the book—he’s stationed at a distant outpost, leaving her to handle the treacherous, cutthroat world of the war college on her own. Violet is repeatedly threatened by her new vice commandant, a brutal man who wants to silence her. Although Violet and her dragons continue to model extreme bravery, the novel feels repetitive and more than a little sloppy, leaving obvious questions about the world unanswered. The book is full of action and just as full of plot holes, including scenes that are illogical or disconnected from the main narrative. Secondary characters are ignored until a scene requires them to assist Violet or to be killed in the endless violence that plagues their school.
Unrelenting, and not in a good way.Pub Date: Nov. 7, 2023
ISBN: 9781649374172
Page Count: 640
Publisher: Red Tower
Review Posted Online: Jan. 20, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
SEEN & HEARD
Read this for the action-packed plot, not character development or worldbuilding.
On the orders of her mother, a woman goes to dragon-riding school.
Even though her mother is a general in Navarre’s army, 20-year-old Violet Sorrengail was raised by her father to follow his path as a scribe. After his death, though, Violet's mother shocks her by forcing her to enter the elite and deadly dragon rider academy at Basgiath War College. Most students die at the War College: during training sessions, at the hands of their classmates, or by the very dragons they hope to one day be paired with. From Day One, Violet is targeted by her classmates, some because they hate her mother, others because they think she’s too physically frail to succeed. She must survive a daily gauntlet of physical challenges and the deadly attacks of classmates, which she does with the help of secret knowledge handed down by her two older siblings, who'd been students there before her. Violet is at the mercy of the plot rather than being in charge of it, hurtling through one obstacle after another. As a result, the story is action-packed and fast-paced, but Violet is a strange mix of pure competence and total passivity, always managing to come out on the winning side. The book is categorized as romantasy, with Violet pulled between the comforting love she feels from her childhood best friend, Dain Aetos, and the incendiary attraction she feels for family enemy Xaden Riorson. However, the way Dain constantly undermines Violet's abilities and his lack of character development make this an unconvincing storyline. The plots and subplots aren’t well-integrated, with the first half purely focused on Violet’s training, followed by a brief detour for romance, and then a final focus on outside threats.
Read this for the action-packed plot, not character development or worldbuilding.Pub Date: May 2, 2023
ISBN: 9781649374042
Page Count: 528
Publisher: Red Tower
Review Posted Online: Jan. 12, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
SEEN & HEARD
BOOK TO SCREEN
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