Ravenous

November 15, 2015
Greta--one of the girls sold to Belladoma as fodder for the sea monster who threatens monthly floods in Monstrous (2015)--makes a dangerous deal with a witch to save her brother. Greta's dismayed that King Oliver wants to aid the devastated Belladoma after Monstrous. Still reeling from her trauma, she can't forgive Belladoma for using Bryre's girls as sacrifices. When her last relative, her brother Hans, goes missing, she begs the king for help--but, as she has concealed Hans' existence to keep him from an orphanage, the king thinks it's a ploy to prevent them from helping Belladoma. Hurt they've called her a liar, Greta leaves to save Hans and finds his captor, a Baba Yaga-like witch who eats children and has a house on chicken legs. They strike a deal: if Greta retrieves a long-lost magical cornucopia, the siblings go free; otherwise, they're on the witch's menu. Greta's quest brings her to a village of centaurs and other hybrids, up against mercenaries, and to Belladoma, where her assumptions about its people's callousness are challenged while she works through her trauma. Connolly does an admirable job ensuring each detail introduced eventually serves the plot. Greta tackles issues of compassion and loyalty with the courage and wits she fights with, and the fairy-tale ending will leave readers happy. The finished book will include a prequel novella. A fantastical adventure fortified by its flawed heroine. (Fantasy. 8-14)

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March 1, 2016

Gr 5-8-Greta was among Bryre's stolen girls, sent to neighboring Belladoma to appease the perpetually ravenous sea monster called Sonzeeki, first introduced in Monstrous (HarperCollins, 2015). Though Belladoma's greedy king was defeated as soon as evil wizard Barnabas fell, mercenaries have taken over and are using magic for equally avaricious and malicious purposes. The people of the seaside city are still starving, which is why Bryne's good King Oliver plans to send aid to Belladoma, much to Greta's dismay. Greta decides that she and her brother Hans should leave Bryre. But before they can go, Hans disappears, snatched by a beautiful but wicked witch who resides in a feathered cottage that travels on long, clawed chicken legs. To save her brother, Greta steals the map that holds the key to find the cornucopia, an ancient magical item that, as the witch and Greta learn, the mercenaries seek. When Greta is again jailed in Belladoma, miserable memories of her time there flood back, but it is the start of the adventure that allows her to thwart greed, use magic wisely, and uncover the truth about Belladoma and her own family. Her actions also start recovery for the dying city and its newly discovered royal lineage. Greta narrates the story in present tense so that readers make realizations as Greta does. Elements of folktales-Baba Yaga's house and a well-known sibling pair-are evident throughout. While it is not critical to read the first book, it certainly clarifies the relationship among characters and the use of magic. VERDICT Fans of the first installment will seek out this adventure-filled fairy tale.-Maria B. Salvadore, formerly at District of Columbia Public Library

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