Storm Siren

Gr 8 Up—In the kingdom of Faelen, "Elementals" have always been male and killed at birth. With powers reminiscent of X-Men's Storm, 17-year-old Nym considers herself a monstrous fluke, tormented by guilt over her deadly abilities. After letting loose her powers in public, she becomes slave to petty Adora, who offers two unappealing options: execution or training as a weapon to save their kingdom. Life consists of being trussed up by maid and new friend, Breck, for parties populated with lusty, conniving members of the elite High Court and slightly less dangerous outdoor training by secretive and attractive Eogan, along with Breck's cheeky brother Colin, who literally moves earth. The heroes and plot come in to action in the last third of the book. A bittersweet ending teases happiness, but the rug is pulled from under Nym and readers alike in the final pages. The language is occasionally jarring, using a tone typical of medieval tales, with occasional quips or thoughts coming across as too modern. Nym is distinct while the other characters are archetypes. Still, this adventure, in the vein of 1980s fantasy films, has readers rooting for the heroes to smite the wicked baddies. Buy where fantasy flies.—Danielle Serra, Cliffside Park Public Library, NJ