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Summary
Summary
Four girls with the power to control the elements must come together to save the world from a terrible evil in this "series opener [that] has it all" ( Kirkus Reviews ).
Years ago, everything changed.
Phantoms, massive beasts of nightmare, began terrorizing the world. At the same time, four girls--the Effigies--appeared, each with a unique power to control a classical element. Since then, they have protected the world from the Phantoms. At the death of one Effigy, another is chosen, pulled from her normal life into the never-ending battle.
When Maia unexpectedly becomes the next Fire Effigy, she resists her new calling. A quiet girl with few friends and almost no family, she was much happier to admire the Effigies from afar. Never did she imagine having to master her ability to control fire, to protect innocent citizens from the Phantoms, or to try bringing together the other three Effigies.
But with the arrival of the mysterious Saul--a man who seems to be able to control the Phantoms using the same cosmic power previously only granted to four girls at a time--Maia and the other Effigies must learn to work together in a world where their celebrity status is more important than their heroism.
But the secrets Saul has, and the power he possesses, might be more than even they can handle...
Reviews (5)
School Library Journal Review
Gr 8 Up-In an indeterminate future city, large, energy-emitting needles protect cities from phantoms, mystical monsters bent on destruction. Because the needles work so well, phantom attacks are virtually nonexistent in the major cities. But when the needles fail and the creatures attack, the last line of defense is four Effigies, girls with elemental powers that can defeat the monsters. Seventeen-year-old Maia is an Effigy fangirl, and when an Effigy dies, Maia becomes her replacement. With phantom attacks only recently popping up everywhere and protection technology failing, the superpowered teens will need to figure out what's going on and who seems to be controlling the phantoms. But first they will have to learn to get along and work together. Romance does not overwhelm the action of this tale as it does in other paranormal series. Maia is realistically timid and self-conscious; intellectually she knows what to do, but acting on it isn't so easy. Unfortunately, the setting is ambiguous and rapidly changing, and weak world-building leaves unanswered questions about what the phantoms are, where they came from, and why they exist at all. VERDICT This thrilling novel is full of superhero girls with ninja-warrior powers, so despite its flaws, it may still be popular with fans of Cassandra Clare's "Mortal Instruments" books and Naoko Takeuchi's "Sailor Moon" graphic novel series.-Leigh Collazo, Dulwich College, Suzhou, China © Copyright 2016. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
A 16-year-old becomes the latest in a long line of young women imbued with elemental powers and charged to defend the world from invading monsters. Maia Finley, who has long idolized the so-called Effigies, unexpectedly becomes the new Fire Effigy when the previous one dies. She is taken in by an organization known as the Sect for training, but all plans are disrupted by the emergence of Saul, an enigmatic man with the unprecedented ability to control the phantoms that have terrorized humanity for more than a century. To defeat Saul, Maia must reunite the Effigies, no easy task. In a thrilling adventure with echoes of Pacific Rim, Avatar: The Last Airbender, and Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Raughley (Feather Bound) depicts the cost of power, the lure of fame, and the trauma of overwhelming stress in a compelling story with memorably flawed heroines. References to our world (Star Trek, Popsicles) in an alternate Earth that has seen monumental change (like the destruction of Seattle in the 1960s) are slightly jarring, but it's a minor quibble in an engrossing kickoff to the Effigies series. Ages 14-up. Agent: Natalie Lakosil, Bradford Literary. (Nov.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Horn Book Review
In an alternate world ravaged by monsters known as phantoms, sixteen-year-old Maia becomes the newest Effigy, one of four young women mystically chosen, Buffy-style, to fight phantoms via elemental powers. Despite some choppy world-building, readers will be engaged by compelling questions about Maia's predecessor's mysterious death, the origins of a human enemy with Effigy powers, and Effigies' reactions to long-term trauma. (c) Copyright 2017. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
Girl power reigns in this debut fantasy series.Sixteen-year-old Maia believes in heroes and has always idolized the Effigies. No one is more surprised than she is when Natalya, the fire Effigy, dies and Maia is chosen to take her place. Known for their superhuman strength and the ability to control an element, the four, female Effigies are destined to fight phantoms, dark creatures that plague the world. When New York falls prey to a series of phantom attacks orchestrated by a man who can somehow control them, Maia finds herself in the middle of the action. Afraid and untrained, she must learn to work with the other Effigiestimid Lake, angry Chae Rin, and cold, powerful Belleto save the world. What Maia lacks in skill, she makes up in spunk; however, she spends too long bumbling around, wondering whats going onbut thats intentional. In a world where Effigies are not just heroes, but also celebrities, the novel places an emphasis on humanizing the girls. As she gets to know her sisters-in-battle, its not long before Maia realizes that Effigies are only human. The characters races are somewhat ambiguous: Buffalo-born Maias mother is from Jamaica, British Lake is brown-skinned, French Belle is blonde and white, and Chae Rin is a Canadian originally from South Korea. This series opener has it all: strong females, intrigue, a dash of romance, monsters, and a sequel in the wings. (Fantasy. 14 up) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
Maia's twin sister and the rest of her family are killed in a house fire, and in the midst of her grief, she suddenly inherits the powers and responsibilities of the Fire Effigy, one of four female superheroes in this alternate-reality world. This is no small thing at a time when deadly phantoms are loose and cities' defenses are failing. All that stands between life and death are the Effigies, and the Sect who control them. These whinging, emotionally crippled heroes offer little to like or respect in this series opener, and the positive aspect a nicely diverse set of female heroes is lost amidst their angsty reactions to having to save the world. The story itself is an amalgam of superhero story, supernatural elements (each effigy has all the memories and abilities of those before her), and a murder mystery that hints strongly at an inside betrayal. For those who like vulnerable superheroes, this will be a noteworthy change from the more common capable-and-committed types. Readers will either love it or leave it.--Welch, Cindy Copyright 2016 Booklist