April 1, 2018
Gr 9 Up-Catherine, the 16-year-old daughter of the king of Brigant is enamored with Ambrose, a member of her father's royal guard. Ambrose's sister is convicted of treason and executed, but not before she can send Catherine a hidden message with the words boy, smoke, and threat. Almost immediately after the execution, Catherine is sent away to a neighboring kingdom to marry their "hideously deformed" [check with reviewer] young ruler. Meanwhile Tash, an apprentice demon hunter, kills demons for their narcotic smoke. Edyon, the bastard son of Prince Telonias and a petty thief, is caught stealing smoke and not-so-accidentally meets March, who has been sent to bring him to his father as the last remaining heir to the throne. Five young people with nothing in common find that their lives and fortunes intersect as monarchs die, plots are uncovered, and dynasties rise and fall. Initially, the disparate plotlines are a bit confusing, but all becomes clear when the five come together and uncover a terrible secret that may destroy them all. The cliff-hanger ending in this trilogy opener will guarantee a high demand for the sequels. VERDICT A must-purchase where epic medieval fantasies and the author's previous "Half Bad" books are popular.-Jane Henriksen Baird, formerly at Anchorage Public Library, AK
Copyright 2018 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
April 1, 2018
Five teenagers who have nothing in common--a hunter, a soldier, a servant, a princess, and a thief--soon find themselves at the center of a war thanks to new discoveries about demon smoke, an opiumlike drug.King Aloysius is still bitter over the war he lost to Calidor and will stop at nothing to exact revenge: This is the catalyst for our five heroes' journeys, whether they at first realize it or not. With each chapter told from a different character's perspective, readers get a feel for the various worlds within the story but are still left sensing that something is lacking: Rather than an immersive fantasy world, it is a medieval world with a spattering of underdeveloped fantasy thrown in. Aloysius and his son are comically, mustache-twirlingly evil. The two love stories (one between two boys, and one a classic love triangle between a girl and two boys) feel halfhearted due in part to the relationships not being fully fleshed out. With so many characters, none get the full attention they deserve. Ethnic diversity, including multiracial identities (one major character has blue eyes, blonde dreadlocks, and brown skin), both mirrors reality as well as featuring fantasy races.With expletives and violence that seem more for shock value than to advance the story, and plenty of action but an abrupt ending, readers will hope for more meat in the next volume. (Fantasy. 15-18)
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April 23, 2018
In this first volume in a fantasy trilogy from the author of the Half Bad books, Princess Catherine of Brigant loves a soldier, Ambrose, but her tyrannical father, King Aloysius, insists that she marry Prince Tzsayn of Pitoria. Catherine knows that Aloysius has designs on his brother Theloniusâs kingdom of Calidor, but sheâs uncertain how her nuptials factor into his scheme. Ambrose suspects that the king is plotting something nefarious, but since Aloysius recently executed Ambroseâs sister for treason, an investigation could prove deadly. Also in the mix are orphan Tash, who possesses an illicit substance that might be the key to defeating Aloysius, and Theloniusâs bastard son, Edyon. Edyon believes that March, a refugee, is taking him to meet his father; instead, March plans to sell Edyon to Aloysius. After a scattered start, Greenâs latest finds its footing and will hold readers rapt until the harrowing conclusion. The romance is secondary to the action, and some of the supporting characters, especially the villains, lack dimension, but Catherine is a fully fleshed heroine whose storyline advocates self-empowerment and independent thought. Ages 14âup. Agent: Claire Wilson, Rogers, Coleridge & White.
January 1, 2019
A princess facing an arranged marriage, a bastard son discovering his identity, a servant dispossessed by war, a loyal guardsman torn by love, and a child demon hunter take turns narrating this novel. As their story lines converge, a detailed picture emerges of rival kingdoms on the verge of war. Green provides complex characters and persuasive political conflicts but not much resolution in the opener to a projected trilogy.
(Copyright 2019 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)
April 1, 2018
Grades 9-12 The author of the darkly magical Half Bad series launches a complex new trilogy with this ambitious title. Five characters, each with his or her own narrative thread, become entangled as Green explores their medieval-like world, where royals clash, political schemes turn lethal, and demons are on the prowl. In Brigant, Catherine stoically accepts her impending marriage to a prince she's never met, in spite of her growing affection for her guard, Ambrose. Elsewhere, 13-year-old Tash is a demon hunter endeavoring to track down the opium-like (and illegal) demon smoke that was stolen from her. And in Calidor, March plots revenge against the prince he serves, only to have his plans hit a snag after meeting Edyon, an attractive thief and unwitting royal bastard. With its many plots in play, Green creates something akin to a YA Game of Thrones that pits power against love, conviction against convention. Tense and well paced, the five characters' paths begin to converge into a unified narrative, primed to become an epic saga by the novel's end. HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: A floor display and national tour are in the works for Green, whose Half Bad trilogy was an international best-seller.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2018, American Library Association.)