Cursed, by Thomas Wheeler, Illustrated by Frank Miller ~ 3.0 Stars

Tags

Arthurian Legends, Historical Fantasy, YA Fiction

Thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

416 Pages

Release Date: October 1st, 2019

Synopsis: The Lady of the Lake is the true hero in this cinematic twist on the tale of King Arthur created by Thomas Wheeler and legendary artist, producer and, director Frank Miller (300, Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, Sin City). Featuring 8 full color and 30 black-and-white pieces of original artwork by Frank Miller.

Whosoever wields The Sword of Power shall be the one true King.

But, what if the Sword has chosen a Queen?

Nimue grew up an outcast. Her connection to dark magic made her something to be feared in her Druid village, and that made her desperate to leave…

That is, until her entire village is slaughtered by Red Paladins, and Nimue’s fate is forever altered. Charged by her dying mother to reunite an ancient sword with a legendary sorcerer, Nimue is now her people’s only hope. Her mission leaves little room for revenge, but the growing power within her can think of little else.

Nimue teams up with a charming mercenary named Arthur and refugee Fey Folk from across England. She wields a sword meant for the one true king, battling paladins and the armies of a corrupt king. She struggles to unite her people, avenge her family, and discover the truth about her destiny.

But perhaps the one thing that can change Destiny itself is found at the edge of a blade.

Cursed has been one of my most anticipated reads of 2019, especially as it’s also going to be a Netflix series in 2020. I love Arthurian legends, and having Nimue take the lead role is long overdue. Alas, this has turned into one of my most frustrating reads in recent memory. There is just so much potential here, but it falls short in quite a few ways.

While I liked the way Thomas Wheeler depicted some of the already known Arthurian characters in some creative and unique ways, Nimue herself is just way too derivative of other female main characters in fantasy, namely Celaena from The Throne of Glass series, by Sarah Maas. There’s virtually nothing distinguishable between the two characters except that Celaena is more intelligent. I did find the secondary characters more interesting, particularly Lancelot, Morgan, and Iris. Except for a few tweaks, Arthur remains pretty true to previous depictions by other authors, but there’s the possibility for some further development with his character in the next book.

I actually liked the storyline, especially near the beginning, but then the narrative winds up being split between the povs of several characters and it’s a bit incohesive with everyone wandering around doing their own thing, marking time until the big climax. Speaking of which, the cliffhanger ending I found anti-climatic and deeply disappointing.

As far as the artwork goes, I don’t think this is Frank Miller’s best work and it really did nothing for the story. To be honest, I think it’s distracting at times.

Overall, while I didn’t hate Cursed, it’s definitely a disappointment. Thomas Wheeler needed to flesh out both the story and its characters to make it stand out from the crowded field of Arthurian novels. That said, I do see potential here and I will definitely give the next installment a try. I will also be binging on the series when it drops on Netflix, especially as it stars Katherine Langford from 13 Reasons Why, and Devon Terrell who excellently played a young Barack Obama in Barry.

 

The Light at the Bottom of the World (The Light at the Bottom of the World #1), by London Shah ~ 4.5 Stars

Tags

Adventure, Climate Change, Government Corruption, Mystery, Science Fiction, Terrorism, Thriller, YA Fiction

Thanks to NetGalley and Disney-Hyperion for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Release Date: October 29th, 2019

320 Pages

Synopsis: Hope had abandoned them to the wrath of all the waters.

In the last days of the twenty-first century, sea creatures swim through the ruins of London. Trapped in the abyss, humankind waivers between fear and hope—fear of what lurks in the depths around them, and hope that they might one day find a way back to the surface.

When sixteen-year-old submersible racer, Leyla McQueen is chosen to participate in the prestigious annual marathon, she sees an opportunity to save her father, who has been arrested on false charges.The Prime Minister promises the champion whatever their heart desires. But the race takes an unexpected turn, forcing Leyla to make an impossible choice.

Now she must brave unfathomable waters and defy a corrupt government determined to keep its secrets, all the while dealing with a guarded hotheaded companion she never asked for in the first place. If Leyla fails do discover the truths at the heart of her world, or falls prey to her own fears, she risks capture—or worse. And her father will be lost to her forever.

The Light at the Bottom of the Sea is a spectacular debut from author London Shah, and one that’s sure to be one of the most memorable YA novels of 2019!

Let’s begin with Leyla. She’s a British-Muslim teen who not only is deeply connected to her family, but to her faith as well. Reading about her devotion to her Afghan heritage and her religion was wonderful, especially in a science fiction setting. While naive, she’s also clever, brave, and resourceful, which drew me even more to her. I love the way she grows and develops throughout the course of the story, and I felt as though I was going on her journey right along with her. Her relationship with her family, friends, and her love interest, Ari, are tender and sweet. Leyla is someone who gives everything she has to protect the people she loves. This also includes her puppy JoJo, who completely had my heart melting. Which leads me to my one and only spoiler. There’s a fight scene where JoJo is hurt badly, but she does recover. It was tough for me to read though, so for anyone who has an especially difficult time with animal cruelty, you might want to skim this thankfully short section.

The imaginative world-building is simply phenomenal. Try to picture a submerged London in 2099, the victim of an asteroid and climate change. Underwater cities, without sun, under terrorist attacks by the Anthropoids, who look human but have the ability to breathe underwater, and whose citizens are now falling to a mysterious sickness on top of everything else. The way London Shah beautifully details this vast watery world, left me feeling as though I was there. Combining the majestic ocean scenery with the futuristic technology is a brilliant combination. Also included are images of how life was above the water, before the disaster.

The storyline itself is intriguing and exciting and Leyla’s and Ari’s quest to rescue her Papa absolutely captivated me. Adding to this are the real world social ills that plague us: government corruption, climate change, terrorism, and genocide. This all comes together in an entirely unique way which opens boundless opportunities for discussion with teens.

Overall, The Light at the Bottom of the World, is a brilliant introduction to a planned duology. The only reason I’m not giving it a full 5 stars is because as much as I love Leyla, Ari, and JoJo, I think the secondary characters, some of who play pretty important parts in the story, need to be fleshed out some more. But this is a relatively small complaint. I unhesitatingly recommend this to teens and adult fans of YA science fiction who are looking for a thrilling and mesmerizing adventure with fantastic main characters, an intriguing political conspiracy thriller, and beautiful imagery. I’m eagerly looking forward to not only the next book, but also any future books by London Shah.