Starling

July 23, 2012
The Fennrys Wolf (last seen in Livingston’s Tempestuous) is bigger and badder than Red Riding Hood ever imagined, and he’s just landed in Manhattan—tumbling naked through a stained-glass skylight, sword in hand. Few recognize him as the harbinger of Ragnarok, the end of the world, but many of those in the know are connected with Gosforth Academy, where the privileged, beautiful scions of the super-rich are expensively educated. Fennrys saves the fencing team from an inhuman onslaught with the timely assistance of Mason Starling, the team’s Olympic hopeful. Each goes away from the encounter feeling a strange connection with the other, but Fennrys doesn’t know who or what he is, and Mason discovers that she doesn’t know herself much better. Livingston chooses action over introspection in this series launch, and lays out the plot in short scenes from various points of view that are kaleidoscopic without drawing readers too far into any one character. Like a stylish TV pilot, there are special effects and eye candy galore, making for a quick, pulse-pounding read. Ages 13–up. Agent: Jessica Regal, Jean V. Naggar Literary Agency.

July 1, 2012
A less-than-impressive addition to the plethora of mythology-based YA romances. On a dark and stormy night, Mason Starling and her posh, Gosforth Academy fencing mates are saved from an attack of malicious mythological creatures by a handsome, disoriented stranger who only remembers his name: the Fennrys Wolf. Predictably, Fenn and Mason's instant chemistry leads to a romance, which is lackluster at best. Their travels around New York City are recorded in meticulous detail that makes the novel feel more like a map than a story, as they attempt to solve the mystery behind the attack and unravel Fenn's past. Meanwhile, Mason's father and brothers are dedicated to the service of the Norse gods and hellbent on bringing about Ragnarok (the Norse destruction and rebirth of the world), and they plot to place Mason in harm's way in hopes of goading Fenn into fulfilling a prophecy. Though Mason, unlike many of her counterparts, does get to fight, she is, disappointingly, still very much a damsel in distress. And while Livingston's melding of mythologies and the faerie world with ours is interesting, characters with little dimensionality and questionable motives, along with a frustratingly choppy pace and dull romance, leave much to be desired. The cliffhanger ending may convince insatiable paranormal-romance readers to give the next book in this series a try. (Paranormal romance. 13 & up)

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January 1, 2013

Gr 8 Up-Star athlete Mason Starling is practicing with her fencing team at an exclusive high school in Manhattan when a freak storm topples a tree right into the athletic center. The team is startled when unearthly creatures begin to attack them. Just in time, a naked stranger arrives, wielding a sword and saving them all. His name is the Fennrys Wolf and he has no idea where he came from or who he is aside from his unusual name, but bit by bit his memories come back to him. Despite the objections of her teammates, Mason is drawn into a relationship with Fenn. Through their romance, she discovers her connection to ancient mythology (most specifically her family's allegiance to Norse gods of which she was unaware) and Fenn's ties to the Otherworld and his ability to travel between death and life. Mason feels herself becoming more and more attached to the mysterious guy. As an ancient prophecy begins to come true, she is alienated from her friends and former crush, Cal, but finds an unexpected ally in Cal's ex-girlfriend. Fast paced and full of action, this series opener will appeal to teens who are fascinated with mythology and need a story with a lot of action to hold their attention.-Kathy Kirchoefer, Henderson County Public Library, NC

Copyright 2013 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

July 1, 2013
Mason Starling, champion fencer at Gosforth Academy, thinks her biggest challenge is training for a spot on the national team. Then a sudden storm unleashes beasts from another world, as well as a mysterious swordsman who calls himself the Fennrys Wolf. The muddled use of different mythologies can be hard to follow, but vivid writing keeps things lively.

(Copyright 2013 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)