The Queen's Choice

February 10, 2014
Kluver's Heirs of Chrior trilogy builds an early headwind for itself: dark, violent, and inhuman, whether the characters are technically human or not. An entire generation of royal heirs has been orphaned, the queen is about to die, and her chosen successor is brutally mutilated. Anya, a 16-year-old Fae who likes to wander in the human world, is robbed of her dignity and optimism when humans sever her wings (the violation reads much like a rape). With her spirit dampened, there is little more than gritty perseverance to buoy her. A power struggle is underway among three young cousins who are eligible to inherit the throne of the Fae. Anya is one, and she doesn't want it, but she doesn't want her younger cousin Illumina to inherit it, either. Both girls are seeking their runaway half-human cousin, Zabriel, and their quest takes them back into the destructive and prejudiced human realm. With no plot closure in this first volume and many crescendos of verbal and physical abuse, it's a fantasy world with little to leaven its somber plot. Ages 14âup. Agent: Kevan Lyon, Marsal Lyon Literary Agency.

December 1, 2013
Royal Fae cousins uncover a human conspiracy against their kind during a crisis of succession. Anya loves freedom and travel but will lose those pleasures, as her aunt, Queen Ubiqua, is naming her the heir in response to a prophecy of the queen's death, skipping over Anya's cousin, Illumina, whose claim is stronger. Illumina's a troubled human-hater who opposes the truce with humans. To prevent Illumina from becoming queen while also avoiding the crown, Anya goes to the human world to find the runaway true heir, Ubiqua's half-human son, Zabriel. Immediately after crossing the Bloody Road (a magical barrier only Fae can cross) into human lands, Anya's caught by hunters who cut off her wings--a mutilation that destroys her magical elemental connection and prevents her from returning home. She's rescued by a family fleeing unjust laws and befriends their eldest daughter, Shea, who joins her quest. The beginning is weighted down by pompous verbosity and expository worldbuilding delivered in awkward dialogue between characters who already know the information. Plot devices like eavesdropping and flashbacks finish the job, though not gracefully. Luckily, once Anya and Shea run afoul of law enforcement and a massive Fae-hunting operation with government ties, the pace picks up. A cliffhanger follows a climax filled with action and intrigue. Uneven; only for patient, forgiving readers. (discussion questions) (Fantasy. 13 & up)

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February 1, 2014

Gr 9 Up-Anya has led a charmed life as one of the members of the royal family in the fairy Kingdom of Chrior, traveling between the mortal and fae worlds at whim and enjoying her betrothal to sweet Davic. When her ailing aunt, the Queen of the Faeries, appoints her as the next ruler instead of her cousin Illumina, her destiny completely changes. Not content with the decision, the teen leaves to find her half-human cousin Zabriel, the rightful heir to the throne, who abandoned the realm because of his mixed heritage. At the start of the protagonist's journey, she's attacked and loses her wings and much of her magic. Anya survives with the help of a human family, especially that of the eldest daughter, Shea, who nurses her back to health. The two continue on the dangerous quest to find the missing prince. When they find him, all bonds are put to the ultimate test. This high fantasy series opener is off to an intriguing start. Rich details, emotionally deep characters, and original plot elements will attract new and old fans of the fae subgenre. While The Queen's Choice begins and ends strongly, the pacing lags in the middle chapters, but the cliff-hanger ending will have readers promptly asking for the next title in the trilogy. A great addition for libraries looking to deepen their high fantasy collection.-Stephanie Charlefour, Wixom Public Library, MI

Copyright 2014 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

February 1, 2014
Grades 9-12 Anya, the 16-year-old heroine of the first book in the Heirs of Chrior trilogy, has been chosen by her aunt, queen of the faerie kingdom of Chrior, to succeed her in the absence of the rightful heirher cousin Zabriel, the half-blood son of the queen, who ran away to the human realm of Warckum two years before. Headstrong and impetuous, Anya dreads the notion of ruling and crosses into the human realm to locate the lost prince and convince him to return home to assume his rightful place. This impulsive decision has disastrous results. Still determined to locate Zabriel, Anya journeys across the human territory with a fugitive teenage girl, becoming more convinced the uneasy peace between men and faeries is on the brink of collapse as long-held tensions bubble to the surface. Despite the slow pacing and somewhat heavy-handed moralizing from Anya, Kluver has captured the complex and ever-shifting emotions of a teenage girl and constructed an engaging, densely plotted political thriller, complete with a cliff-hanger ending that will make readers eager for the sequel.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2014, American Library Association.)