Review by Booklist Review
Aliera may have listened too well to her fencing coach's advice: You must always protect your heart. Besting competitors twice her age in tournaments, and keeping to a strict routine of fencing practice, homework, and role-playing games, Aliera is a loner and likes it that way until she becomes lab partners with the cutest boy in school. She initially resists his charms but is won over when he asks for a date. Turns out her new ruby-handled foil is the key to his interest in her, and to the yet-unseen magical dimension she must keep in balance. Yolen's first foray into the graphic format is a success precisely because she incorporates the best weapon in her arsenal fantasy. In Aliera she has created a strong, conflicted, and relatable girl hero who wields her wariness for protection. Cavallaro's artwork suits Aliera's monochrome existence, but bursts to life when she finally sees (in color!) the faerie beasties cheering her on. The explanation and source of Aliera's status as a protector of worlds will have to wait for further volumes to be revealed.--Jones, Courtney Copyright 2010 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Library Journal Review
Aliera, a nationals-bound fencing champion, ignores her instructor's warning to "protect her heart" when she falls for Avery Castle, the handsomest boy in school. On their first and only date, she dons her fencing mask, and Grand Central Station comes to magical life before her eyes. Only then does Aliera learn that Avery is not at all what he seems and that the real object of his affection is the practice foil her mother picked up at a tag sale. Why It Is for Us: Yolen's fantastical tale makes great use of the graphic format. Aliera's monotone world springs to vibrant life in the story's last half. On learning that she is a Defender of this strange new universe, Aliera's reaction is half befuddlement and half "bring it on"-an excellent reminder that girls just want to have fun...with swords.-Angelina Benedetti, "35 Going on 13," BookSmack! 7/15/2010 (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by School Library Journal Review
Gr 8 Up-The chapters in this clever graphic novel follow the terms of a fencing match, from "Engagement" to "Disengagement," with successive stages in between. Most of the illustrations are done in two tones as Aliera Carstairs makes it through her humdrum days in high school, where she doesn't fit in. Color begins to appear when she puts on her fencing mask at Grand Central Station and the fantasy begins. Illustrations complement the text well, with larger pictures reflecting the character's situation and feelings. After meeting her date and admitting to seeing ogres and dragons when wearing her mask, he thinks she is crazy, but a wild adventure ensues. She loses her weapon but it is returned by a fairylike creature who tells her that the foil her mother purchased at a tag sale is the source of her powers, and she is the defender and now part of a world called Helfdon. The ending will leave readers anxiously awaiting the second installment in the series.-Karen Alexander, Lake Fenton High School, Linden, MI (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review
"Am I crazy? Fairies, trolls, kingdoms, a jewel that keeps the world in balance hot glued to what looks like a practice foil?" Life as tenth-grader and top-notch fencer Aliera Carstairs knows it turns upside-down during her big date with the dazzlingly handsome Avery Castle: Aliera learns that her "too good-looking to be true" lab partner isn't, uh, human. Even harder to take in is her discovery that she's (drum roll, please) the world's "Defender." Yolen and Cavallaro add an extra ingredient to make all these revelations-and the graphic novel itself-more interesting: Aliera is colorblind. Readers initially see, through her eyes, a world of cool blue-grays. Everything-the book's color scheme, Aliera's life-changes when she dons her fencing mask to protect herself from an aggressive bird. Vibrant colors suddenly explode on the page, as winged people, dragons, and other strange creatures appear before her eyes. The juxtaposition of reality and fantasy is compelling, as is Aliera's strong voice; the illustrations convey fencing action as well as they do Aliera's range of emotions. Graphic novel fans will look forward to the sequel. From HORN BOOK, (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
Veteran fantasist Yolen introduces the utterly charming and sassy Aliera, a quirky tenth-grade loner who's both color-blind and an expert fencer, in this charming graphic novel. Aliera slinks her way through high school, focusing on fencing practice, reading and engaging in role-playing games with her cousin. When hunky Avery Castle arrives at her school, all the girls are immediately smitten, and Aliera also falls for Avery's good looks and charm, though she tries to downplay her feelings for him. An odd turn of events throws Aliera's routine off balance, and everything in her life she knew to be realfrom a practice foil her mother bought her at a tag sale to the lothario Avery to the entire world as she knew itis suddenly not what it appears to be. This fantastic change brings color into her life, and the drab grays that wash over Cavallaro's panels now burst with vibrantly hued blasts. An enchanting tale, with hints of a possible continuance. For fantasy lovers, this is an absolute must-read. (Graphic fantasy. 12 up) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
