Shimmer and Burn

May 15, 2017
A grimdark fantasy debut opens with the 6-year-old heroine's mother stabbing her through the heart, and it's all downhill from there.Now a teenager, Faris steals and brawls to support her drunkard father and little sister in their totalitarian homeland. After a botched escape attempt, her lover is executed and her sister enslaved; Faris herself is manipulated into a spell binding her to the ambitious princess Bryn, who plans a treasonous foray into a neighboring kingdom, blighted by a plague that's turned the populace into magic-addicted cannibals. They soon join forces with the enigmatic magician North, whose dark secrets may hold the key to their mission. The present-tense narrator Faris is admirable in her ferocious determination, but her constant rage, hatred, and self-loathing become wearying. Bryn proves a marvelous villain, all cruelty and confidence; North serves mostly to suffer nobly and to fall instantly, madly, and inexplicably in love with Faris. Overwrought prose with a tin ear for metaphor propels the mostly repellent characters through a muddled, convoluted plot. The world seems the generic fantasy default-white pseudo-Renaissance Europe, albeit with jarring anachronistic touches; the magic system is likewise confusing. The headlong pace of the narrative keeps the pages turning but makes the final chapter less a cliffhanger than an abrupt fracture of the storyline. Even those readers who adore misery and squalor might find this a bit much. (Fantasy. 14-adult)

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June 1, 2017

Gr 9 Up-The city of Brindaigel is inescapable, and there are two fates for those who attempt to flee: either they are executed, or their minds are wiped and they become mindless slaves. However, Faris and her lover, Thaelan, are determined to take the risk. When Thaelan and Faris's younger sister are caught in the tunnels searching for a passageway out of the city, the girl is thrown into slavery and Thaelan is killed. While trying to leave the city and look for a cure for her sister, Faris encounters the ruthless Princess Bryn, who infects Faris with stolen magic that she must carry out of Brindaigel to the kingdom of Avinea in exchange for her sister's freedom. Faris reluctantly joins forces with Bryn, who schemes to overthrow her father and claim his throne for herself. But the world beyond the city walls is far more terrible and dangerous than they are prepared for. Magic is rare and addictive, and those craving it will stop at nothing to feed their hunger. Rescued from a band of addicts by North, a traveling magician who is much more than he appears to be, Princess Bryn and Faris join him and his apprentice as they traverse a perilous landscape to Avinea. While the premise of this author's debut novel is solid, the execution is shaky. An overabundance of underdeveloped minor actors results in confusion, and the main characters lack complexity. The book doesn't tie up neatly, which, along with its final sentence ("This fight is just beginning."), makes it clear that a sequel is forthcoming. VERDICT Fantasy is perennially popular, but this book is not a necessary purchase.-Jane Henriksen Baird, Anchorage Public Library, AK

Copyright 2017 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

August 7, 2017
Taranta’s debut features a tough-as-nails heroine, a complicated magic system, and a gritty fantasy world full of menace and wonder. Despite the threat of plague in surrounding Avinea, 16-year-old Faris Locke longs to escape the walled city of Brindaigel and the brutality of King Perrotte. After Faris, her sister Cadence, and her beloved Thaelan are caught attempting to flee, Cadence is sold into slavery, Thaelan is hanged, and Faris is forced to brawl for money in hopes of buying Cadence’s freedom. When the king’s executioner offers Faris a job, she can’t refuse, but she’ll be bound by magic to Princess Bryn, who is determined to take her father’s throne. After escaping to Avinea through the sewers, Faris and Bryn meet a magician named North and his apprentice, who are determined to stop the plague and save Avinea. In a crowded fantasy field, Taranta’s story stands out for its mature writing, inventive and scary creatures (and even scarier humans), and complex and often ruthless characters. The conclusion suggests that Faris’s adventures are only getting started. Ages 14–up. Agent: Josh Adams, Adams Literary.