Review by Booklist Review
Once a member of the nobility, Kate Brighton's life changed dramatically when her father, the master of horse, tried to assassinate the high king. Nine years after her father's execution, Kate keeps her head down, working for the Relay to carry messages via horseback across dangerous terrain. Kate, one of the few female riders, is both helped and hindered by her wilder gift: she can touch and influence the minds of animals, but those powers are illegal and punishable by death. When a chance encounter leads Kate to Corwin, the son of the high king and Kate's former love, she finds herself face-to-face with the past she's tried to escape. But tensions elsewhere are boiling over: deadly nightdrakes have begun attacking during the day, and conflicts between the wilders and their oppressors are coming to a head. Part political thriller, part fantasy epic, this is a high-octane adventure that untangles issues of choice, bias, and injustice. There's special appeal for animal-lovers, but this series starter will suit any high-fantasy fan.--Reagan, Maggie Copyright 2018 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Arnett (Polaris) offers a gripping story of two people's search for courage and answers in a chaotic world. Kate Brighton was branded a traitor after her father tried to assassinate the king. Then the man she loved let her father be executed, and the kingdom increased persecution of "wilders," those with magic tied to the four elements and spirit. Kate is one of those beings; she possesses the ability to influence the minds of animals. Adding further challenges, nightdrakes (flightless dragons) are attacking more frequently, and Kate's first love, Prince Corwin, returns. Corwin wants her help to figure out why the drakes are attacking in broad daylight now, and he asks Kate to return with him to Norgard, her home, where she can find answers about her father. Kate hopes the journey will bring closure and peace, even as her rekindled friendship with Corwin stirs long-buried feelings and unrealistic dreams of the future, and the threat of invasion by a conquering nation looms. Arnett builds a rich world of magic and intrigue, enhanced by side characters of substance that create momentum for subsequent books. Ages 14-up. Agent: Suzie Townsend, New Leaf Literary & Media. (May) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
Gr 9 Up-In this expansive fantasy world of dragons, magic, and mystery, no one can be trusted. This is especially true for Kate, an outcast paying for her father's sin-a failed assassination attempt of a high king. Now she lives on the dangerous margins of society as a courier riding around the kingdom attempting to survive in a world filled with flightless dragons called nightdrakes. Kate has one advantage-the magical power to control the minds of animals. Her strange world is turned even more so when she falls in love with Corwin, the king's son. As nightdrakes become an increasing threat, the kingdom is thrown into turmoil and Kate and Corwin are caught in the middle. Arnett invites readers into a complex world with its own vocabulary. The chapters alternate between the stories of Kate and Corwin. These dual perspectives offer teens a depth of understanding of each of these characters' inner lives. The author has a knack for writing for young adults and molding real-life situations into this engaging story of magic and young love. VERDICT Recommended for young fans of Game of Thrones and those who enjoy fast-paced and exciting fantasy.-Kevin McGuire, Woodland Hills School District, PA © Copyright 2018. 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
Kate Brighton bears her late father's "traitor" legacy and shares a magical bond with the horses she now rides to relay mail while avoiding the terrifying nightdrakes. When an unexpected daylight drake attack causes her to cross paths with her former love, Prince Corwin, it portends romantic and political difficulties ahead. Arnett builds an engaging world for this high fantasy full of action and realistic character development. (c) Copyright 2019. 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
A traitor's daughter contends with her painful past and dangerous future in this series opener.Nineteen-year-old "Traitor Kate" Brighton tries to outrun her father's infamy as a Relay rider in the kingdom of Rime. Rider life is tough, especially with a new onslaught of ravenous drakes, but Kate loves horses, with whom she shares a forbidden "wilder" magical bond, risking the attention of the Inquisition. When an unexpected encounter reunites Kate with "Errant Prince" Corwin, she returns to the city of Norgard determined to protect the wilders and uncover the reason for her father's treason. Meanwhile, co-narrator Corwin renews his rivalry with his brother, Edwin, and must compete against him for the crown. Blond, blue-eyed Corwin and black-haired, golden-skinned Kate are typical tormented protagonists, but some of the secondary characters mercifully compensate for this angst-y duo. The setting is blithely anachronistic, describing revolvers as revolutionary but newspapers and pocket watches as familiar, and plot loopholes, geographic inconsistencies, and political history are all too often (and not always successfully) obscured by magic. Arnett (The Nightmare Charade, 2015, etc.) notably draws attention to economics and poverty, elements often downplayed in fantasy novels, but otherwise offers a generic tale of action and romance. There is some ethnic diversity in secondary characters.A reluctant-rebel riff on "Cinderella," with more horses. (Fantasy. 14-18)
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