Review by Booklist Review
A determined young markswoman plans an audacious prison break in this middle-grade fantasy debut. Valor Raisayevna stages a fake assassination attempt on the prince so that she will be arrested and sent to the prison where her twin sister, Sasha, is incarcerated. Once imprisoned, Valor sets about locating Sasha so that she can help her escape. Valor is unable to keep her plans as secretive as she would like, and she must rely on a gang of coconspirators who could spy on her as soon as help her. This is a fast-paced adventure set in a wintry kingdom where royal succession runs through the female line, and children are sent to a prison reminiscent of a Siberian gulag. The deprivations that Valor, who's only 13, must overcome establishes her cred as an action hero, and the fact that she is the daughter of the queen's head huntswoman gives her an advantage. Palace intrigue and diplomatic double-crosses play their part in the thematic arc, which sets up nicely for a sequel.--Dean, Kara Copyright 2017 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by School Library Journal Review
Gr 4-7-Valor aims, fires, and misses her shot at Prince Anthol, whom she has known for all of her 13 years. With that shot, she is guaranteed to end up in Tyur'ma, the ice-cold children's prison where the inmates labor in mines, have barely enough to eat, and as punishment are forced to sleep outside in the snow. Valor couldn't be more pleased. With her twin, Sasha, locked away for stealing a music box important to the political health of the city, Valor is determined to break her sister out of the supposedly inescapable prison. Valor soon realizes that she cannot keep this a secret and finds herself forced to ally with those whom she does not know if she can trust. The end leaves room for a promised sequel but has a satisfying enough resolution to work as a stand-alone. Though set in a real Russian town called Demidova, the novel feels like a modern take on a Russian folktale where queens rule, women are trained to expertly bowhunt, and packs of wolves make the frozen tundra dangerous for humans. Lauren crafts the scene with just enough description, along the way creating believable characters who keep morphing as Valor learns more about who they are and their motivations. The plot keeps readers guessing and maintains a suspenseful tension throughout. VERDICT Anyone who likes adventure, survival stories, folktales, or novels with strong female protagonists will not be able to put this down.-Clare A. Dombrowski, Amesbury Public Library, MA © Copyright 2016. 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
Thirteen-year-old Valor gets herself arrested for attempted murder so she'll be sent to her realm's children's prison, Tyur'ma. Valor plans to use her formidable thievery skills to help her twin sister Sasha--who currently resides there for stealing--escape the impenetrable prison. But Valor learns she must make allies to succeed. Lauren's fast-paced fantasy-adventure will leave readers clamoring for a sequel. (c) Copyright 2018. 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
Thirteen-year-old Valor is determined to rescue her twin sister, Sasha, from Tyur'maa children's prison resembling Siberian forced-labor camps.There's some nice bending of gender tropes right from the start: Valor has the excellent archery skills of her motherthe omnipotent queen's first huntswomanand Sasha, poised to be the princess's adviser, has the intellectual skills and interests of their fatherthe queen's top political adviser. Valor's entire family has been disgraced by Sasha's imprisonment for allegedly stealing a politically important music box, although the object has not been recovered. In order to free her sister, Valor deliberately gets herself arrested and sent to Tyur'ma. Valor relates the action-packed, suspenseful tale in present tense. Her first hours at the juvenile hall from hell convince her that she must trust a few other inmates to help with her breakout plans. Enormous, tattooed guards called Peacekeepers, a warden whose eyes and personality match the icy landscape, ferocious wolves, heart-racing action scenes, and frequent, impossible brushes with death give the text a feeling of fantasy, although there are no allusions to magic. Valor is both true to her name and resourceful. She also humbly acknowledges her shortcomings, especially errors in judgment, as the plot twists and turns. The satisfying ending includes an easy lead toward a sequel: the real music-box thief has suddenly disappeared. Russian names and words are abundant; the world appears to be populated by light-skinned characters. A page-turner with an intrepid protagonist. (Fantasy. 8-11) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
