Like the earlier volumes, this is an excellent blend of familiar fantasy tropes and original ideas and elements that will...
Molly, Alaric and Tobias return to share a final adventure that will intrigue, sadden and ultimately satisfy admirers of their earlier escapades (The Cup and the Crown, 2012, etc.).
Having gained his throne (though it’s still a bit precarious) and possession of a magical loving cup, Alaric has decided to strengthen his position by courting his brother’s widow to create an alliance between the countries of Westria and Cortova. He’s unhappy, to say the least, when he discovers that his uncle (and rival for the crown) seeks to marry his son to the princess. The return of this former adversary as well as the introduction of two clever and unpredictable characters whose intentions and alliances are unclear keeps the suspense high despite the length of the text and the fact that much of the action is relatively subdued. Flowing naturally from prior events, Stanley’s complex plot allows her main characters to display their hard-won wisdom and maturity. Magical elements aren’t woven in quite as seamlessly as before and are likely to seem as confusing to readers as they do to Molly. By contrast, using the game of chess as a framework succeeds splendidly, echoing the complex political maneuvering that is at the heart of the tale.
Like the earlier volumes, this is an excellent blend of familiar fantasy tropes and original ideas and elements that will please readers while giving them plenty to ponder. (Fantasy. 10-14)Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2013
ISBN: 978-0-06-204730-4
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Aug. 13, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2013
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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Gripping and pretty dark—but, in the end, food, family, friendship, and straight facts win out over guile, greed, and terror.
Rowling buffs up a tale she told her own children about a small, idyllic kingdom nearly destroyed by corrupt officials.
In the peaceful land of Cornucopia, the Ickabog has always been regarded as a legendary menace until two devious nobles play so successfully on the fears of naïve King Fred the Fearless that the once-prosperous land is devastated by ruinous taxes supposedly spent on defense while protesters are suppressed and the populace is terrorized by nighttime rampages. Pastry chef Bertha Beamish organizes a breakout from the local dungeon just as her son, Bert, and his friend Daisy Dovetail arrive…with the last Ickabog, who turns out to be real after all. Along with full plates of just deserts for both heroes and villains, the story then dishes up a metaphorical lagniappe in which the monster reveals the origins of the human race. The author frames her story as a set of ruminations on how evil can grow and people can come to believe unfounded lies. She embeds these themes in an engrossing, tightly written adventure centered on a stomach-wrenching reign of terror. The story features color illustrations by U.S. and Canadian children selected through an online contest. Most characters are cued as White in the text; a few illustrations include diverse representation.
Gripping and pretty dark—but, in the end, food, family, friendship, and straight facts win out over guile, greed, and terror. (Fantasy. 10-13)Pub Date: Nov. 10, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-338-73287-0
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: Nov. 16, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2020
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