Review by Booklist Review
As the dutiful heir apparent to his autocratic, widowed father, 13-year-old Beau will presumably rule the Land someday. Routinely sequestered and often bored, he sneaks out to explore and befriends Cressi, a young commoner who reveals some harsh truths about his father's governance. Cressi is secretly a "charmer" (spell-maker) with a gift for healing. She introduces Beau to hotheaded Nate, who pins his hope for change on finding a rumored, Robin Hood--like leader. With the Land threatened by outside forces and internal rebellion, Beau, Cressi, and Nate ride out together, separate at times, and meet up again as they move toward the destinies awaiting them at their journey's end. The book's title refers to a magical pawn in a game similar to chess in its structure and reliance on strategy. In her first novel, Wishingrad creates a cast of well-realized characters, a believable pre-industrial world with elements of magic, and a fast-paced, inventive plot. While narrative threads are tied up rather quickly at the story's end, the journey offers reflection, surprises, and plenty of adventure.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Wishingrad explores the nature of privilege and the dangers of generational bias in this fantastical middle grade debut with a game at its center. All his life, 13-year-old Beau, progeny of gray-eyed Himself, has failed to live up to the expectations of his cruel, oligarchical father. Though Beau has been tasked with following in Himself's footsteps, ruling the Land from the Manor, he's neither aggressive like his father nor a magical charmer like his deceased mother--an inclination that would allow him to cure the fever that's ravaging the countryside. After his tutor dies from that plague, a chance encounter with nursemaid's assistant Cressi opens Beau's eyes to the inequality and systemic abuse of his family's reign, including Mastery House, which churns out child laborers for the most dangerous, least desirable tasks. Determined to right these wrongs and face the inaccuracies of his education, Beau flees the Manor. While Cressi is confined there, attempting to master her own strange abilities, Beau, accompanied by 13-year-old orphan Nate, a Mastery House runaway, journeys into the Land's most dangerous reaches to foment rebellion. Though a fictional chess-like game informs much of the narrative structure, its strategy paralleling character dynamics and plot, details about its rules and gameplay are lacking, robbing it of its full weight. Nevertheless, Wishingrad's cued-white characters are engaging and well-rounded, helping to propel the story. Ages 8--12. Agent: Victoria Marini, Irene Goodman Literary. (July)
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Review by Kirkus Book Review
Power, truth, and revolution for the middle-grade set. In the Land, Himself rules with military force. The wealthiest citizens live in Topend; the middle class live in Upper and Lower Middlelands, names that also describe their income levels. Everyone else scrapes by in the Bottom, which is still reeling from the battles when Himself ruthlessly went after anyone who could make charms, including his own wife. Beau, Himself's heir, lives in ignorance in the Manor until a chance meeting with smart, talented Cressi shows him the true cost of his comfort, including the starving children taken by the Manor to pay their parents' debts. When Cressi is imprisoned, Beau takes off with plucky Nate in search of a real-world ace--the mastermind figure in the chesslike game of Fist--to help him save Cressi and make the world fairer. Cressi, meanwhile, has her own adventures (and is the clear winner in every one). Everything and everyone's being a take on a trope, combined with tissue-paper--thin worldbuilding, leads to an almost allegorical feel, as if it's all a game of Fist played out with people. The lack of true obstacles (despite grim backstories, everything on-page works out) makes for an unexpectedly light take on young teens overthrowing a despotic government. Limited physical descriptions point to a White default. Simple but charming. (Fantasy. 8-12) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
