13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
This series is outstanding, October 4, 2007
This review is from: Kiki Strike: The Empress's Tomb (Hardcover)
I know the title is Kiki Strike: The Empress's Tomb but for me, the series is all about fourteen-year-old narrator Ananka Fishbein. She's living the life! She goes to an exclusive school, has exciting adventures in the Shadow City, hangs out with a unique group of girls, and lives in glamorous Manhattan.
But living an exciting life can sometimes get the best of a person. Ananka is no exception. Her duties with her friends have placed her in a perilous position. She needs to stay awake in school and get better grades, or she's going to be shipped off to a remote boarding school. That can't happen! Especially since Kiki is in need of help, not that Kiki would admit it. Kiki's vicious relatives are still after her. And Oona is in some deep trouble also. It's so serious, she doesn't want to share the seriousness with her friends, the Irregulars (who have secrets of their own).
New York City is being overrun by giant squirrels, Oona's evil father takes up residence in a haunted mansion and wants to reconcile with her, and Betty is in love with an unusual character. And there are also kidnapped children, and an Empress's reputation at stake. Will Ananka, Kiki and the gang solve the mysteries without losing their lives? And if they live, will Ananka be forced to leave her school and friends for a rural boarding school?
The primary criticism I had with the first Kiki Strike book was that the Irregulars were interchangeable. We didn't get to know them, and consequently didn't have a deep concern about their welfare. Author Kirsten Miller begins solving that issue in her current book. We see a bit more of Oona and Betty, and therefore care about them. I'm hoping that Miller does the same with the other girls in the next book.
The Kiki Strike series is fun and has a fascinating premise: a Shadow City under New York City. Every time I walk the streets of New York, I think about the Shadow City and wonder if it's real. Miller has been successful when she can get a "mature" woman to believe.
Armchair Interviews says: The Kiki Strike series is a winner.
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12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Courtesy of Teens Read Too, October 1, 2007
This review is from: Kiki Strike: The Empress's Tomb (Hardcover)
Get ready for the next adventure... The Irregulars have returned! On the agenda this time around are the following things:
Finish mapping the Shadow City. Since Livia and Sidonia Galatzina, (supposed) Queen and Princess of Pokrovia, and Kiki's mortal enemies, managed to get an incomplete copy of their map, it's more important than ever that The Irregulars finish what they started.
Stop Lester Liu. He got away last time, and they aren't about to let that happen again. But when Oona seems to throw herself in the middle of the whole thing, no one is sure what to do or who to believe.
Keep Ananka in New York. Ever since Ananka joined The Irregulars, her grades have been plummeting. Now her mom wants to send her to a boarding school on some farm.
Find the squirrels. Trained squirrels are attacking people, and someone is painting life-size pictures of them all over the city. And he seems to know who The Irregulars are.
And those things are just the beginning. This is a book of secrets, and misunderstandings, and sneaky dealings. No one is quite what they seem, not even the people you might think you know. And you can't be too careful about who you trust, or who you don't.
I admit that I had a moment, a split second of concern about this book. I loved the first one (
Kiki Strike: Inside the Shadow City) so much, and second books are historically a letdown even when they're good. After the first page, I was thrilled to admit I was completely wrong to doubt. By the end, I was groveling at Kirsten Miller's feet!
Strong memorable characters, well-written, fast paced, exciting, touching, hilarious... And, of course, indispensable information like how to appear mysterious, how to know if your house is haunted, how to take advantage of the power of scent, and much, much more.
You absolutely must read this book. Trust me.
Reviewed by: Carrie Spellman
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Bought this for my daughter, read it for myself, May 19, 2008
This review is from: Kiki Strike: The Empress's Tomb (Hardcover)
I thought this would make a nice present for my daughter, but as she's only 11, I thought I'd read a chapter or two to make sure it was appropriate for her. Danged if I wasn't up til 4am reading all the way to the end!
The author knows how to keep the story moving, and the internal dynamics of the seven friends will keep any reader's interest.
I wish these books were better known and easier to find than other, inferior books in this genre.
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