School Library Journal Review
The events of Shakespeare's The Tempest serve as the climax to a coming-of-age story that imagines Miranda's lonely life growing up on an island and the deep friendship between her and the wild child Caliban. Miranda's father, Prospero, relies on magic to punish and bind, while the sprite Ariel uses cruel words. Miranda and Caliban find kindness in each other as they discover more about the world around them, but even they cannot thwart Prospero's larger plans. In Carey's hands, Shakespeare's characters take on new dimensions, and his happy ending turns devastating. Very short chapters propel the story forward, and perspectives alternate between Miranda and Caliban, both of whom have unique voices that deepen as they age and begin to rebel. While teens will know more than the protagonists, they will empathize with their confusion and innocence and bristle when Ariel uses Miranda's and Caliban's lack of knowledge against them. Familiarity with the source material will foreshadow the conclusion, but even those who haven't read The Tempest will feel the lingering pain of the characters long after putting down the book. VERDICT While it fully stands on its own, this beautiful and heartbreaking tale adds new depth and perspective to a timeless Shakespearean work-perfect for fans of the classics.-Jennifer Rothschild, Arlington Public Library, VA © Copyright 2017. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
Carey (the Santa Olivia series) turns Shakespeare's Tempest on its head, in ways that are always supportable by the original text, with this brilliant deconstruction. On the deserted island where Miranda grows up, her magician father, Prospero, keeps mostly to himself for the sake of his magical studies. Miranda is the childhood playmate and teacher of the orphan Caliban, the island's original inhabitant, but when they come of age, their friendship grows into romance, which Prospero cannot tolerate. The magician has had plans for Miranda for years-plans involving his enemies, a love spell, and, of course, a tempest. Carey's version of Prospero is unable to see his daughter as more than a tool, and unable to see Caliban through his preconceptions and academic prejudices. The foreordained pattern of the play mixes beautifully with Carey's intricate characterization and eye for sensory detail, building mercilessly to dazzling, and devastating, tragic effect. (Feb.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Booklist Review
In this heartbreaking retelling of Shakespeare's The Tempest, Miranda and Caliban take center stage for a doomed love story infused with dark magic, broken trust, and lost innocence. Young Miranda barely remembers a time before the deserted island where she lives with her father, the magician Prospero. With only spirits bound by Prospero for company, Miranda is fascinated when he uses magic to capture Caliban, the wild boy she's spied roaming the hills. Miranda is tasked with civilizing him, a feat she accomplishes with patience and kindness. Caliban and Miranda, equally subject to Prospero's inscrutable experiments and terrifying punishments, turn from friendship to romance as they age. Carey artfully uses foreknowledge of Shakespeare's play to cast a looming sense of dread over the young lovers, and indeed, Prospero's machinations come to devastating fruition with a storm, a shipwreck, and a love potion. Here Prospero is an emotionally manipulative, controlling figure who sees others, especially his daughter, as tools; while Miranda and Caliban, both narrators with distinct voices, are given rich inner lives through Carey's delicate, sensitive portrayal.--Hutley, Krista Copyright 2017 Booklist
Library Journal Review
A young girl lives with her mage father on a remote island, lonely but safe from whatever threats her powerful parent had stirred up in the past. Then a strange, wild boy is brought into their midst, bespelled by her father to serve him. This poignant retelling of Shakespeare's The Tempest alternates between Miranda and Caliban's perspectives as they grow up under the watchful eye of the sorcerer Prospero. While their relationship develops, the two discover the truth about Prospero, his journey to the island, his magical machinations, and finally his ultimate search for revenge. No one will be left untouched when the storm finally comes. VERDICT In this stand-alone, Carey evokes the same stunning worldbuilding and imagery of her "Kushiel's Legacy" and "Sundering" series, as she stirs new emotions from an old story and reveals another side to Shakespeare's epic play. [See Prepub Alert, 8/22/16.]-KC © Copyright 2017. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.