All the flavor of a post-apocalyptic setting-plagues, class warfare, maniacal soldiers-escalates to greater complexity while leaving space for further worldbuilding in the sequel. Their voices are distinct and richly drawn, from Day’s self-deprecating affection for others to June's Holmesian attention to detail. In alternating first-person narratives, Day and June experience coming-of-age adventures in the midst of spying, theft and daredevil combat. When tragedies strike both their families, the two brilliant teens are thrown into direct opposition. He's also the Republic's most wanted criminal, prone to stealing from the rich and giving to the poor.

Day, on the other hand, is an anonymous street rat, a slum child who failed his own Trial. She looks forward to the day when she can join up and fight the Republic’s treacherous enemies east of the Dakotas.

June is rich and brilliant, the only candidate ever to get a perfect score in the Trials, and is destined for a glowing career in the military. 11-14)Ī gripping thriller in dystopic future Los Angeles.įifteen-year-olds June and Day live completely different lives in the glorious Republic. Nuanced and intense, this painstakingly created tale mimics the Escher-like constructions of its villainous Architect, fooling the eyes and entangling the emotions of readers willing and able to enter into a world like no other. (Fantasy. While sisters Triss and Penelope are 11 and 9, the dangers they face and the issues their family grapples with suggest that readers slightly older than the protagonists will be best equipped to sort through the murky motivations, painful betrayals and matter-of-factly presented alternate reality. Freakish actions and confusion on the part of the main character set the stage for an unsettling revelation a quarter of the way through that adds even more suspense and challenges readers' ability to empathize. Each narrative builds a unique world, and this combination of postwar tristesse and scary magical beings known as Besiders is no different. Evocative descriptions of the parallel settings, sharply drawn characters and fast-paced action pull readers along, though some may occasionally be distracted rather than transported by the heavy use of metaphor. Hardinge is a master stylist whose imaginative works resemble one another only in the consistently impressive quality of her writing. This dense and twisty fantasy set in post–World War I Great Britain mixes monstrous creatures, sibling rivalry, a supernatural doppelgänger, family dysfunction and a kidnapping into a complex brew of eerie atmosphere and unexpected events.

Cuckoo song by frances hardinge