Another absorbing fairy-tale adventure.
Filomena and her friends’ latest quest gets derailed by Robin Hood and his thievery.
Filomena Jefferson-Cho and her three best friends, Jack the Giant Stalker, Alistair, and Gretel, are on their way to Snow Country to offer their aid in finding a lost fairy. Their quest gets derailed when Robin Hood steals their belongings. Princess Jeanne of Northphalia enlists their help in retrieving the crown he stole from her as well. After rescuing Lord Sharif of Nottingham from Robin Hood, they discover that King Richard the Lionhearted is trying to steal the throne from the princess—and he needs the crown to make it official. Things get worse: In Eastphalia, Prince Charlie has turned into a frog, and even true love’s kiss won’t undo the curse. Meanwhile, back in the mortal world, Filomena’s adoptive mother has come down with a mysterious illness, and Filomena must return to her. Along the way, new friends join the quartet, and together they attempt to find the League of Seven who can save them all. This third series installment offers more action-filled heroic quests centering realistically drawn tween characters. Alongside the magical fun there is emotional depth as Filomena and Jack struggle with acting courageously and also allowing themselves to share their true feelings of fear, loneliness, and helplessness. The world of Never After is full of ethnically and racially diverse characters.
Another absorbing fairy-tale adventure. (Fantasy. 10-14)Pub Date: Dec. 6, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-250-82725-8
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Roaring Brook Press
Review Posted Online: Oct. 10, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2022
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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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