Overthought yet underwhelming.
Two friends get trapped in a malevolent fairy’s spell.
Cautious ninth grader Darra and her frustrated, antsy friend Andrea both feel trapped in their old factory town outside of Boston. Darra’s mom is pressuring her to study nonstop when all Darra wants is a break, while Andrea just can’t wait to move away. After exploring an old factory, Andrea meets a seductive, floating woman named Carmen who claims to be “a member of the fair folke.” Simultaneously, Darra meets a young man named Liam who tells her that he made a deal with Carmen to stay young forever, but he’s been trying to trap her and send her back through a fairy ring ever since he learned that she gets her magic through harming others. Liam recruits Darra to his cause, but she meets resistance from Andrea, who is thoroughly charmed by Carmen. Only when Carmen attacks Darra and Darra gets stuck in Carmen’s manipulation of time does Andrea band together with Liam to stop Carmen once and for all. Darra is hinted to be of Asian descent, and Andrea is racially ambiguous and implied to be queer—disappointing missed opportunities for explicit representation. Liam and Carmen present White. The dark, chalky color palette grates, with occasional high-contrast spreads that give the illustrations a pulpy feel but are ultimately jarring and unpleasant. The be-careful-what-you-wish-for messaging is muddled, Carmen’s villainy is too simple to be compelling, and both the characters and worldbuilding are generally underdeveloped.
Overthought yet underwhelming. (Graphic urban fantasy. 12-16)Pub Date: Oct. 6, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-945820-89-2
Page Count: 162
Publisher: Iron Circus Comics
Review Posted Online: July 13, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2021
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A lushly written story with an intriguing heart.
After praying to a Fate for help, Evangeline discovers the dangerous world of magic.
When her father passes away, Evangeline is left with her cold stepmother and kind but distant stepsister, Marisol. Despite inheriting a steady trust in magic, belief in her late mother’s homeland of the mystical North (where fantastical creatures live), and philosophy of hope for the future, her dreams are dashed when Luc, her love, pledges to marry Marisol instead. Evangeline desperately prays to the Prince of Hearts, a dangerous and fickle Fate famed for his heart that is waiting to be revived by his one true love—and his potentially lethal kisses. The bargain they strike sends her on a dark and magical journey throughout the land. The writing style fluctuates from clever and original to overly verbose and often confusing in its jumble of senses. While the pervasive magic and concept of the Fates as a religious system add interest, other fantasy elements are haphazardly incorporated without enough time devoted to building a cohesive world. However, the themes of love, the power of story, family influence, and holding onto belief are well rounded and add depth. The plot contains welcome surprises, and the large cast piques curiosity; readers will wish more time was spent getting to know them. Evangeline has rose-gold hair and, like other main characters, reads as White; there is diversity among the fantasy races in this world.
A lushly written story with an intriguing heart. (map) (Fantasy. 12-16)Pub Date: Sept. 28, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-250-26839-6
Page Count: 416
Publisher: Flatiron Books
Review Posted Online: July 27, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2021
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
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