Starred review from January 15, 2024
On the island of Dantessa, everything from commerce to social standing is determined by how one performs in the thousands of possible games registered in the magical Book of Play. As low-ranking participants in the Great Game, 12-year-old Pia and her grandfather are just barely getting by, and when Gramps is stripped of his status and sent to dwell on the Pawn Isles, Pia must risk everything to raise the money needed to rescue him. She joins the Seafoxes, a team of young players organized by the brilliant Vittoria Aslani, who intends to enter the annual noctis tournament, an ever-changing game of wits and strategy with life-and-death stakes and a fabulous prize in the form of more than enough money to save Gramps. To win, Pia and her new friends must compete against better-trained, better-equipped teams, and contend with the goddess of death, in the process discovering the secret behind the Great Game. Fagan (The Mirrorwood) skillfully blends adven-
ture and team-based competitions, set against a memorable, Mediterranean-leaning environment and populated
by eclectic characters described as having varying skin tones. Clever, warmhearted, fast-paced, and energetic, this tale has much to offer. Ages 10–up. Agent: Hilary Harwell, KT Literary.
March 1, 2024
Gr 3-7-Pia, 12, and her grandpa play games of strategy and luck to survive in this middle grade fantasy reminiscent of a less violent Hunger Games set on a fictional island resembling Venice. People's scores in the Great Game are tracked by the magical gamescript that visibly appears above their palms. Anyone whose score goes down to zero becomes a pawn and is forced into servitude or sent to the dreaded Pawn Isles. Pia's grandpa's score falls to zero due to his poor eyesight, but he can't afford eyeglasses, so he's banished to the Pawn Isles. To save him, Pia joins three other misfit teens to compete in the annual Noctis tournament, where teams complete dangerous trials before a live audience. Each member of Pia's team has a reason for competing, but to win they have to earn one another's trust. Renzo, the header of a rival team, was Pia's childhood best friend when she and her grandpa lived in his wealthy home, until Renzo's conniving and ambitious father, Lord Brascia, threw them out. Pia thought the games and their rules were infallible, but she and her team realize how wrong they were-and risk their lives to change that. Fagan successfully crafts an engaging fantasy that centers young people fighting for what's right by challenging the Great Game's rules and their island rulers' unfair status quo. Tween readers will keep turning pages to keep up with the twists and turns. Pia appears as white; several of her team members have darker skin. One is trans and another has two dads. VERDICT An exciting, fast-moving story for fans who like clever, strong-willed heroines battling enormous odds.-Sharon Rawlins
Copyright 2024 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
March 1, 2024
Ever since the plague three centuries ago, during which the Prince of Dantessa challenged Lady Death to a game of noctis for the lives of her people, inhabitants of the tiny magical island compete for wealth and standing by taking wagers in the Great Game, the magic system that oversees all games of chance. But when Pia's Gramps loses a final game and is banished, Pia will do whatever it takes to win the money it would take to recall him to play. Her opportunity comes when she is recruited by the Seafoxes into a tournament that carries a hefty prize. Their chief rival is the Krakens, captained by Renzo, once Pia's greatest childhood friend but now her enemy. Can the Seafoxes compete in an arena where the wealthy can afford magical boons that give them considerable advantages -- and can they find a way to break the Great Game so that wealth doesn't automatically equal winning? Befitting a society run by games, some of the magic is silly (one game involves dueling with swordfish; some boons involve being given zebra stripes or invulnerability while standing on one foot), but things become very serious when Lady Death herself appears in order to compete in the tournament. Inventive and unexpected, this creative fantasy will entertain readers while striking deeper notes of honor and teamwork in the face of peril. Anita L. Burkam
(Copyright 2024 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)
Starred review from February 15, 2024
Grades 4-7 *Starred Review* There are 8,684 officially recognized games in Dantessa, and every citizen's life is shaped by their overall standing in the Great Game. Lose too many challenges and your personal score drops to zero, removing you from play and sending you into a life of servitude. Pia knows this better than most, as she watches her dear grandfather gets shipped off to Pawn Island after he suffers a final defeat trying to win coins for their supper. Desperate to earn a large enough fortune to purchase Gramps' reinstatement, Pia joins a ragtag band of misfits with varying agendas in order to compete in the ultimate game, one that pits teams against Lady Death herself. As rule-following Pia and her teammates uncover the reality of the high-stakes gaming world, it becomes increasingly obvious that inequality abounds, and they become determined to change the established system, even if it requires the ultimate sacrifice. The transporting novel instantly enthralls, casting readers headlong into a world of impressively well-developed games and mythology. Pia shines as a phenomenal protagonist willing to examine long-held convictions as truths come to light, and the diverse supporting cast, including a delightfully disarming Lady Death, is equally enjoyable. A captivating consideration of what it means to be "good" in an unjust world.
COPYRIGHT(2024) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
Starred review from February 15, 2024
In Dantessa, where people's Great Game rankings determine their status, Pia accepts a deadly challenge to save her grandfather. Three hundred years ago, the prince of Dantessa challenged Death to a game and won. Now, magically arbitrated gaming drives the island's culture, and 12-year-old Pia Paro is finally old enough to participate. Then her grandfather loses his status, and an arbiter of the game's magical constructs disappears him to labor as a pawn. Desperate for the money that can save Gramps, Pia joins the Seafoxes, a team comprising four other impoverished players who are attempting the deadly game of noctis. The Seafoxes' chances against wealthy teams (who can buy magical "boons" and cheat) are slim, though. Even harder is competing against a team that includes Renzo, Pia's former best friend, whose actions lost Gramps his job and home. Perhaps the Seafoxes' only chance is to change the rules. Dantessa's Venetian-inspired world of canals and palazzos is intricately built, lush with sensory detail, and a vividly imagined magical gaming culture. Pia is a resilient, brave, and empathetic character. Struggling with the Great Game's innate unfairness and Renzo's inexplicable betrayal, she wants to follow her grandfather's advice to play safe but risks it all for a chance at greater change. Both the lead and supporting characters are distinct and intriguing, and the action is expertly paced. Diversity in skin tone and sexuality is casually woven into the story. A richly creative magical adventure about challenging an unfair status quo. (Fantasy. 10-13)
COPYRIGHT(2024) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
January 1, 2024
Ever since the plague three centuries ago, during which the Prince of Dantessa challenged Lady Death to a game of noctis for the lives of her people, inhabitants of the tiny magical island compete for wealth and standing by taking wagers in the Great Game, the magic system that oversees all games of chance. But when Pia's Gramps loses a final game and is banished, Pia will do whatever it takes to win the money it would take to recall him to play. Her opportunity comes when she is recruited by the Seafoxes into a tournament that carries a hefty prize. Their chief rival is the Krakens, captained by Renzo, once Pia's greatest childhood friend but now her enemy. Can the Seafoxes compete in an arena where the wealthy can afford magical boons that give them considerable advantages -- and can they find a way to break the Great Game so that wealth doesn't automatically equal winning? Befitting a society run by games, some of the magic is silly (one game involves dueling with swordfish; some boons involve being given zebra stripes or invulnerability while standing on one foot), but things become very serious when Lady Death herself appears in order to compete in the tournament. Inventive and unexpected, this creative fantasy will entertain readers while striking deeper notes of honor and teamwork in the face of peril.
(Copyright 2024 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)