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Mary Quirk and the Language of Curses
Mary Quirk has some unfinished business.
Earlier that summer, Mary and her friends managed to rescue three cadets from their rival school, El Paso Cerrado. As part of that effort, Mary turned up a strange fact that her boyfriend Finn and his twin Dillon are both their human grandfather was a Maledictor.
Maledictors make curses. It’s an old and feared talent that isn’t well understood. And Dillon clearly has more than a touch of it.
Unfortunately, that’s become Mary’s problem. She’s tied to Dillon via a necklace he lent her, one that lets her become unseen. Unfortunately, she’s beginning to suspect that the spell Dillon bound into the pendant isn’t a spell at all, but a curse. Now Dillon is appearing in her nightmares, and she really wants to get him out.
And to do that, she’ll have to face down an ancient curse…
Earlier that summer, Mary and her friends managed to rescue three cadets from their rival school, El Paso Cerrado. As part of that effort, Mary turned up a strange fact that her boyfriend Finn and his twin Dillon are both their human grandfather was a Maledictor.
Maledictors make curses. It’s an old and feared talent that isn’t well understood. And Dillon clearly has more than a touch of it.
Unfortunately, that’s become Mary’s problem. She’s tied to Dillon via a necklace he lent her, one that lets her become unseen. Unfortunately, she’s beginning to suspect that the spell Dillon bound into the pendant isn’t a spell at all, but a curse. Now Dillon is appearing in her nightmares, and she really wants to get him out.
And to do that, she’ll have to face down an ancient curse…
220 pages, Kindle Edition
Published November 24, 2022
1 person want to read
About the author
Anna St. Vincent
7 books9 followersAnna St. Vincent has a mysterious past she doesn't reveal online. Let's just say there was a hometown, a high school, and a college, all somewhere in Oklahoma or Texas. Mary Quirk and the Secret of Umbrum Hall is her first YA novel.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
December 7, 2022
The author (who, full disclosure, is an online acquaintance; I paid full price for the book, and she didn't request a review) is starting to hit her stride with this series. This one, in particular, has a clear story problem, in fact several clear problems, that the protagonist is tackling in a sensible and effective way that involves a certain amount of necessary risk and conflict. There's a clear reason why she - a teenager - and some other teenagers are involved in dangerous operations that should normally be handled by adults; she has a rare ability, but she's not a Chosen One or any kind of damn princess, there's no prophecy (of which I'm very glad), and in general it's trope-averting rather than trope-conforming.
For example, it's more a cosy urban fantasy, rather than the usual noir UF, but none the worse for that. We do learn a bit more about the dystopian elven homeland and why so many elves leave it as refugees, but it's no YA dystopian full of factions. One of the best things about it, in fact, is that the class of teenagers have agreed to work together even if they don't always get on, rather than indulge in angst and overwrought conflict and love triangles.
It's the opposite of the "write to market" philosophy of analysing existing books to death and then trying to write the exact same book again, something I also refer to as "made from box mix" or, in extreme cases, "extruded fiction product," and as you can probably tell from my choice of terminology, I respect an author who's willing to be original and deliberately not go along with a bunch of tired tropes just because that's what everyone in the field is writing and reading. Inevitably, this will limit its audience (some people just like what they like and will keep reading it as long as authors keep writing it), but I hope it does find an audience of people like me who appreciate a fresh approach; a protagonist who's not spoiled, stupid, dramatic, or whiny; and just basic competence in the craft of storytelling.
For example, it's more a cosy urban fantasy, rather than the usual noir UF, but none the worse for that. We do learn a bit more about the dystopian elven homeland and why so many elves leave it as refugees, but it's no YA dystopian full of factions. One of the best things about it, in fact, is that the class of teenagers have agreed to work together even if they don't always get on, rather than indulge in angst and overwrought conflict and love triangles.
It's the opposite of the "write to market" philosophy of analysing existing books to death and then trying to write the exact same book again, something I also refer to as "made from box mix" or, in extreme cases, "extruded fiction product," and as you can probably tell from my choice of terminology, I respect an author who's willing to be original and deliberately not go along with a bunch of tired tropes just because that's what everyone in the field is writing and reading. Inevitably, this will limit its audience (some people just like what they like and will keep reading it as long as authors keep writing it), but I hope it does find an audience of people like me who appreciate a fresh approach; a protagonist who's not spoiled, stupid, dramatic, or whiny; and just basic competence in the craft of storytelling.
December 1, 2022
Another very satisfying story in this series, with pieces from previous books tying together nicely. I’m not great at guessing where an author is going, but I love seeing the pieces all fit together in hindsight. There is one hall in the school, not currently in use but visited multiple times in previous books, that I always found creepy and it was nice to have that feeling validated.
I like how Mary’s interactions with the teachers and staff are becoming more adult and equal, but it’s also entertaining when she thinks of them as The Adult Squad.
There are still missing pieces, especially with Mary’s family, and I look forward to the next story!
I like how Mary’s interactions with the teachers and staff are becoming more adult and equal, but it’s also entertaining when she thinks of them as The Adult Squad.
There are still missing pieces, especially with Mary’s family, and I look forward to the next story!
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews