From Under Mountains

February 1, 2017

When a political envoy arrives in Karsgate Keep, Lady Elena, daughter of the Keep's guardian Lord Crowe, sees an opportunity for adventure. Before long her actions threaten the peace between her home nation of Akhara and a race of magical goblins called the Mausgol, as well as earning the enmity of both human and mystical adversaries. Rife with magic, ritual, and schemes, this fantasy features a strong female protagonist, a large cast of humans, sorcerers, gods, and ghosts, and a setting that combines classic courtly genre tropes with a more Middle Eastern flavor. Leong's (Chief Five Heads) illustration is evocative without overwhelming the rather cinematic script by Churchland (Beast) and debuter Gibson, which favors nicely crafted dialog and moody, silent stretches. VERDICT While this first volume, collecting Issues 1-6, in the series focuses heavily on establishing a tone and multiple mysteries, and is therefore a little slow to get going, the ending indicates that future installments should garner rabid fans among the sword-and-sorcery crowd, especially those seeking something slightly different in this typically male-dominated field, or those preferring loads of backstory and detail to sift through.--TB

Copyright 2017 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

November 15, 2016
Grades 9-12 Karsgate Keep maintains the only link to the goblin city of Nonorok that sits between the human-settled lands of Akhar and Vol. The Crowe monarchy rules Karsgate Keep and has paid tribute to the goblins for generations for the right to control the pass, but murder and betrayal make it clear the goblins are no longer upholding their end of the bargain. Leaving the Keep for the first time in her life, Princess Elena Crowe travels to Nonorok, determined to confront the goblins. This new fantasy series starter is compelling but inconsistent. The illustrations can be clumsy, and it takes patience to resolve the many story threads, but the supernatural elements are elegantly creepy, and there are several intriguing characters, including a young thief and a reluctant war hero, to maintain interest. Strong, vibrant color combines with varying panel sizes and layouts to ensure that each page is visually engaging. With little more here than hints about the mysterious goblins and none of the plot lines resolved, expect the story to build substantially in future volumes.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2016, American Library Association.)