An overly rushed storyline undermines an intriguing premise and sympathetic characters.
A young woman’s future in the interplanetary fleet suddenly changes.
It’s 2381 in Richmond, Virginia, and 21-year-old Basilisa Miranda is a focused examinee from a Latinx family that has for centuries served in the interplanetary fleet, bringing peace, equality, and democracy to the galaxy. Despite her pale, redheaded best friend Charlotte’s constant requests to relax, Basil carefully controls every aspect of her life in order to prepare for the Fleet Exam: physical training, studying, self-actualizing meditation, and protein shakes instead of home-cooked meals with her family. Then suddenly, all her anxieties and uncertainties surface as she wonders what truly makes her happy and whether she still wants to do her service in the fleet, let alone enlist for life. After breaking down and fleeing during the exam, Basil’s life changes completely as she engages with and expands her world, meeting a friendly, green-skinned, pointy-eared Xanthippian named Velda and charismatic, brown-skinned Ethne, two anti-fleet protestors. The story’s social commentary on negative aspects of cultural assimilation is intriguing, however, the delivery lacks nuance and fails to develop the subjects with sufficient depth. While Basil’s personality and relationships are well depicted, one-dimensional secondary characters, choppy time skips, and the rapid pace weaken the work overall. The illustrations are beautiful, however, with strong transitions, luminous colors, and a natural flow.
An overly rushed storyline undermines an intriguing premise and sympathetic characters. (author's note, additional art) (Graphic science fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: Aug. 3, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-5067-2456-0
Page Count: 136
Publisher: Dark Horse
Review Posted Online: May 26, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2021
A lackluster and sometimes disturbing mishmash of overused tropes.
The Plague has left a population divided between Elites and Ordinaries—those who have powers and those who don’t; now, an Ordinary teen fights for her life.
Paedyn Gray witnessed the king kill her father five years ago, and she’s been thieving and sleeping rough ever since, all while faking Psychic abilities. When she inadvertently saves the life of Prince Kai, she becomes embroiled in the Purging Trials, a competition to commemorate the sickness that killed most of the kingdom’s Ordinaries. Kai’s duties as the future Enforcer include eradicating any remaining Ordinaries, and these Trials are his chance to prove that he’s internalized his brutal training. But Kai can’t help but find Pae’s blue eyes, silver hair, and unabashed attitude enchanting. She likewise struggles to resist his stormy gray eyes, dark hair, and rakish behavior, even as they’re pitted against each other in the Trials and by the king himself. Scenes and concepts that are strongly reminiscent of the Hunger Games fall flat: They aren’t bolstered by the original’s heart or worldbuilding logic that would have justified a few extreme story elements. Illogical leaps and inconsistent characterizations abound, with lighthearted romantic interludes juxtaposed against genocide, child abuse, and sadism. These elements, which are not sufficiently addressed, combined with the use of ableist language, cannot be erased by any amount of romantic banter. Main characters are cued white; the supporting cast has some brown-skinned characters.
A lackluster and sometimes disturbing mishmash of overused tropes. (map) (Fantasy. 14-18)Pub Date: Nov. 7, 2023
ISBN: 9798987380406
Page Count: 538
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Sept. 9, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2023
A dark and gripping feminist tale.
A young woman faces her past to discover the truth about one of her nation’s heroes.
When Effy Sayre, the only female architecture student at her university in Llyr, wins the competition to design Hiraeth Manor for the estate of the late Emrys Myrddin, national literary figure and her favorite author, it is the perfect opportunity to leave behind a recent trauma. She arrives to find the cliffside estate is literally crumbling into the ocean, and she quickly realizes things may not be as they seem. Preston, an arrogant literature student, is also working at the estate, gathering materials for the university’s archives and questioning everything Effy knows about Myrddin. When Preston offers to include her name on his thesis—which may allow her to pursue the dream of studying literature that was frustrated by the university’s refusal to admit women literature students—Effy agrees to help him. He’s on a quest for answers about the source of Myrddin’s most famous work, Angharad, a romance about a cruel Fairy King who marries a mortal woman. Meanwhile, Myrddin’s son has secrets of his own. Preston and Effy start to suspect that Myrddin’s fairy tales may hold more truth than they realize. The Welsh-inspired setting is impressively atmospheric, and while some of the mythology ends up feeling extraneous, the worldbuilding is immersive and thoughtfully addresses misogyny and its effects on how history is written. Main characters are cued white.
A dark and gripping feminist tale. (Fantasy. 14-18)Pub Date: Sept. 19, 2023
ISBN: 9780063211506
Page Count: 384
Publisher: HarperTeen
Review Posted Online: July 13, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2023
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