Last of Her Name

February 1, 2019

Gr 7 Up-In a galaxy dubbed "The Belt of Jewels," a girl discovers that she's a princess and must embrace her destiny of liberating the oppressed from an extremist ruling class. Russian nomenclature used throughout suggests this is somewhere in our universe and also hints at the work's attempt to retell the story of Anastasia Romanov. Thus begins a journey wherein hotheaded Stacia (and company) blazes a trail of destruction that will leave teens wondering whom to root for. The villain initially shows more hints of depth than the heroes, but unfortunately he's flattened as a stereotypical genocidal tyrant by the end. Realism is broken and emotional strength undercut when characters in mortal danger don't die. The characters' actions don't feel like they have an impact on the plot. The conclusion feels rushed, hinting at positive change for the galaxy, but the results of Stacia's past decisions suggest impending disaster. The work does introduce an alien species that is truly alien and fascinating, but sadly underutilized. VERDICT For a jewel-themed story, it's pretty lackluster. This is a bland sci-fi romp that fails to resonate. Recommend Emily Suvada's This Mortal Coil or Neil Gaiman and Michael Reaves's "Interworld" books instead.-Sean Dorsey, Suffolk Public Library, VA

Copyright 2019 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

November 15, 2018
The sole surviving member of the galaxy's imperial family comes out of hiding to fight for the future of the known world.Seventeen-year-old Stacia, an apprentice mechanic, lives quietly on her father's vineyard on the purple planet of Amethyne with her best friends Pol and Clio. When Amethyne is invaded, Stacia discovers that she is actually Anya Petrovna Leonova, youngest child of slain Emperor Pyotr, spirited away by rebels and hidden since she was a baby. Anya/Stacia escapes Amethyne with Pol only to run afoul of a gravity witch, a young man named Riyan, who's a tensor from the planet Diamin. It turns out that Anya/Stacia's royalty is encoded in her DNA. Crystals called Prisms fuel the entire galaxy; their source, the Prismata, is accessible to Leonova royalty alone through something called the Firebird. Anya/Stacia must solve the mystery of the Firebird, decide whose side she is on, rescue her friend Clio, and save the known world. It's nonstop action, but it doesn't make much sense; the emotional arcs don't ring true, and the Anya-Pol romance feels obligatory. The writing combines canned dialogue with way too many present active participles. Characters' skin tones cover all the colors of the rainbow and beyond.If Princess Anastasia, youngest daughter of the last Russian czar, survived the family slaughter to have a love child with the Star Wars franchise, this is what you'd get. A hot mess. (Fiction. 12-16)

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November 15, 2018
Grades 9-12 Khoury's stellar Anastasia retelling shines bright as the stars. In it, Stacia grows up believing what everyone else in the Belt of Jewels has believed for the past 16 years?that the bloody Union rebellion left every member of the royal family dead, including the youngest child, Princess Anya. However, this is discovered to be a lie when the new leader of the Belt and the Union government, the Direktor Eminent, sweeps into Stacia's village declaring that Princess Anya lives. Stacia's life is plunged into danger and chaos when she is revealed to be the lost princess. When her close friend is captured by the Union that hunts her, Stacia risks capture to find and rescue her. Along with the fresh take on a beloved classic tale, this delivers staggering world building, a thrilling plot, and a compelling cast of characters. With a winning trio of intrigue, royalty, and rebellion set in space, Khoury's book does not disappoint. Fans of Ashley Poston's Heart of Iron (2018) will no doubt want to compare these sf Anastasias.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2018, American Library Association.)