The Starless Crown

September 13, 2021
A young woman discovers her foreboding destiny in this fun but one-dimensional fantasy adventure from Rollins (A Kingdom of Bones). Nyx, a nearly blind student at the Cloistery of Brayk, survives an attack by monstrous Mýr bats, vicious swamp beasts with lethal venom. But rather than killing Nyx, their venom miraculously restores her vision and imparts a premonition of Moonfall, an impending apocalypse. When Highking Toranth ry Massif learns of Nyx’s survival, he demands to have her brought to his castle; her blood could prove valuable to his physicians and he fears she’s connected to the legend of the Forsworn Knight, whose alleged child was prophesied to be the cause of the kingdom’s downfall. As Toranth hunts for her, Nyx flees with a team of unlikely allies on a perilous journey to find her alleged father, determined to stop Moonfall before darkness takes them all. Though the fantastical creatures and landscapes are imaginative, the fast-paced but shallow narrative takes the easy road by concentrating on a series of chilling beast encounters for Nyx and her party rather than exploring the tension between characters. Readers looking for plot-driven fantasy will enjoy the action but shouldn’t expect much depth.

December 15, 2021
In his Sigma Force adventure-thrillers, Rollins' characters must solve a modern-day puzzle that reaches into the past. In his new fantasy novel (first in a projected series), the protagonist, a young woman named Nix, must join forces with a ragtag group of misfits in order to evade enemies determined to silence them forever. A familiar format, sure, but in an unfamiliar setting. Rollins' fantasy world is richly detailed, and, as the story opens, readers find they have a puzzle of their own to solve. Is the book set in an alternate version of our world? In the distant future of our world? In the deep past? Readers will have fun trying to answer these questions as they follow Nix on her adventures. Although it's not being marketed as a YA novel, its themes and characters should appeal to teen readers, while Rollins' legion of adult fans will enjoy the way he adapts his successful formula to a new setting. The door is left wide open for a sequel, which is just fine.

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October 1, 2021

Best-selling thriller author Rollins (Sandstorm) explores his science and zoology interests in this new genre series set on a planet that does not rotate and is plagued by extreme heat and ice. On this world lives Nyx, a blind student succeeding in academia. However, her rejection by jealous classmates, together with an aborted attack sets off a chain of events that send Nyx on a journey of power and destruction. In other parts of the land, outcasts are on a collision course with each other: a thief who escapes prison with a shocking artifact, a prince whose life plan seems to be one of drunken debauchery until purpose sets a new path, and a legendary soldier who must face his past and find home again. All will come together in a quest to save the world from apocalypse. The novel's pace is slowed in the beginning by the numerous points of view, but its worldbuilding will capture readers' attention, and Rollins creates a deeply layered history in the series' opening volume. VERDICT An interesting blend of science and magic, flying ships and prophetic gods, propel this fantasy into epic territories.--Kristi Chadwick, Massachusetts Lib. Syst., Northampton

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