Praise for THE SHADOW QUEEN: “Magic, dragons, and royalty in hiding: The Shadow Queen hits all the right notes of an incredible epic fantasy.
A splendid addition to any collection that includes fairy tales retold.
Winter 2018
Gr 7 Up—Blue works hard to disguise the magic in her blood, especially when she's working on her attempts at turning metal into gold. Magic has been illegal in the kingdom of Balavata for 16 years, ever since a blood wraith was imprisoned on the outskirts of the royal city, not far from the cottage where Blue and her father live. She's worried about the homeless children in the city, who have started to go missing. The protagonist is also giving alchemy lessons to Nessa, the young princess and Blue's dear friend. Who has time for magic when Kellan, the irritatingly charming crown prince, is suddenly hanging around all the time? This reimagining of "Cinderella" presents all the markers of the fairy tale, complete with a magical shoe that secures Blue's fate, but Redwine has crafted a world filled with dark magic and intrigue as the setting for her story. Blue is an active and passionate protagonist who is invested in helping others, frequently at her own expense. The romance between Blue and the prince is a slow, simmering burn as childhood antagonism turns to something that is deep and true. VERDICT For general purchase and fans of romantic fantasy.—Jen McConnel, Queen's University, Ont.
2018-11-07
An unlikely duo tackles power plays both political and magical.
Alchemist Blue hides her magic (illegal since Balavata suffered a blood wraith) and devotes herself to discovering how to turn lead into gold to help her city's impoverished orphan population. Although good friends with the princess, Nessa (who cannot speak and communicates with sign language), Blue can't stand Nessa's rakish brother, Kellan; the feeling's mutual, as Kellan regards her as a killjoy. Crown Prince Kellan has only weeks to select a bride from among the nine head families before his 19th birthday. Dinah Chauveau offers an occasional third viewpoint: well-positioned to match her daughter with the prince only to find her schemes crumbling with her husband's murder as his gambling debts bring her family to the verge of ruin. After Blue's father is murdered, Dinah sweeps in with shady paperwork to claim Blue and all of her possessions, hoping to use her alchemy to save her standing. Blue finds surprising solace from Kellan as she comes to understand how high the stakes are for his outwardly frivolous political gamesmanship; the expected romance is slow burning and satisfying, with some fun fairy-tale twists as the danger crescendos. Despite certain predictable plot points, the charming leads carry the day. Most characters have varying shades of brown skin, with occasional white people, and race isn't given weight.
Frothy romance with dashes of intrigue and magic. (Fantasy. 12-18)
A splendid addition to any collection that includes fairy tales retold.” — Booklist
“Redwine has crafted a world filled with dark magic and intrigue.” — School Library Journal
Praise for THE TRAITOR PRINCE: “An action-packed narrative of monsters, violence, and political intrigue.” — School Library Journal
Praise for THE WISH GRANTER: “Satisfying fare for fantasy fans.” — Kirkus Reviews
Praise for THE WISH GRANTER: “A welcome feminist revision of the classic fairy tale.” — School Library Journal
Praise for THE SHADOW QUEEN: “With poison, fire, and deadly deeds, this tale is hard to put down and even harder to forget. I’ll never look at apples the same way again!” — Maria V. Snyder, New York Times bestselling author of the Study series
Praise for THE SHADOW QUEEN: “Magic, dragons, and royalty in hiding: The Shadow Queen hits all the right notes of an incredible epic fantasy.” — Jodi Meadows, author of the Orphan Queen duology
Praise for THE SHADOW QUEEN: “Filled with complex characters, imaginative and horrible consequences, and sharp twists.” — Booklist
Praise for THE SHADOW QUEEN: “An action-packed retelling of “Snow White”...Great fun” — School Library Journal
Praise for THE SHADOW QUEEN: “A fully imagined fairy tale landscape.” — Publishers Weekly
Praise for DELIVERANCE: “A sharp new epic” — Booklist
Praise for DECEPTION: “An engaging fantasy” — Booklist
Praise for DEFIANCE: “A well-paced, heart-wrenching tale of loyalty, courage, and love.” — Romantic Times
Praise for DEFIANCE: “C.J. Redwine’s DEFIANCE is a gritty, thrilling adventure sprinkled with moments of breathtaking tenderness. I read it in one sitting.” — Rae Carson, Morris Award finalist for and New York Times bestselling author of The Girl of Fire and Thorns
Praise for DEFIANCE: “Spellbinding, romantic, and impossible to put down.” — Julie Kagawa, New York Times bestselling author of the Iron Fey series and the Blood of Eden series
Praise for THE SHADOW QUEEN: “With poison, fire, and deadly deeds, this tale is hard to put down and even harder to forget. I’ll never look at apples the same way again!
Praise for DEFIANCE: “Spellbinding, romantic, and impossible to put down.
Praise for DEFIANCE: “C.J. Redwine’s DEFIANCE is a gritty, thrilling adventure sprinkled with moments of breathtaking tenderness. I read it in one sitting.
Praise for DEFIANCE: “A well-paced, heart-wrenching tale of loyalty, courage, and love.
