Solidly entertaining.
Something is kidnapping the strongest witches in a small town near Seattle—and Anna is in danger.
In Josephson’s third series installment, 14-year-old Anna and 15-year-old Colin investigate disappearances in the town of Witchwood, which is hidden by a glamour, where Miriam, Anna’s aunt, is head of the town council. Aunt Miriam lives with her daughter, Leah, in a house that belonged to Anna’s grandparents and that moves about on chicken legs. Colin sets out to speak with the partners and families of the women—all powerful witches—who were taken by something that emitted an intense, bright light. But Witchwood’s denizens are hostile toward Ravens, who, like Colin, are guardians of the shield between the magic and ordinary worlds. Meanwhile, Anna turns out to be a witch, and in addition to having the gift of psychometry, which she’s still developing, she seems to be a potential target of whatever is taking the witches. She’s also intrigued by and drawn to the ways that her aunt and cousin acknowledge their Jewish heritage, such as observing Shabbat and placing mezuzahs on their doorposts. The narrative, which alternates between Anna’s and Colin’s voices and viewpoints, blends magic and cosmology from multiple traditions. The quotidian magic—teas, candles, and enchanted objects for sale at the Witchmarket—is engaging. Max the Jabberwocky in cat form and the sentient houses—Ravenfall Inn (where Anna and Colin live) and Aunt Miriam’s home—will charm new and returning fans alike.
Solidly entertaining. (map) (Fantasy. 10-14)Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2024
ISBN: 9780593708828
Page Count: 272
Publisher: Delacorte
Review Posted Online: Sept. 14, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2024
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
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Fast-paced dragon flights and mid-space fights—plus underdog heroes who are easy to root for.
A tenacious 13-year-old battles to save Mars, the only home he knows, in this series opener.
Lunar Jones, called “Dad” by the other orphans at the understaffed, underfunded Martian Relocation Clinic, is a scrapper in the dying Mars settlement, which is ironically named Harvest. Although the atmosphere supports human life, Martian plants, animals, and weather pose threats to survival, and the salvagers risk their lives with every expedition. A century ago, people killed Ares, Mars’ King-Dragon, hoping to make the planet “a paradise. A second version of Earth.” But that plan backfired. After a bloody attack by a rival salvage group, Lunar regains consciousness in an underground bunker, under the care of Gen. John Poppy, who’s secretly rearing a dragon named Dread. Poppy has rallied a group of young people with assorted special skills. Soon Dread will choose his dragoon, the human he bonds with for life. In the world of the story, which is reminiscent of Mad Max and Star Trek, each celestial body has its own dragon avatar. The backstory is fairly well developed, and the short chapters are packed with action. Lunar and some other key characters show positive growth, while the minor characters feel more like types. Lunar presents white; there’s some diversity in race among the supporting cast.
Fast-paced dragon flights and mid-space fights—plus underdog heroes who are easy to root for. (Fantasy. 10-14)Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2024
ISBN: 9781665946513
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Aladdin
Review Posted Online: Aug. 3, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2024
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