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| Hunters of the Lost City by Kali Wallace |
Hunters of the Lost City by Kali Wallace is post-apocalyptic fantasy for middle grade readers. The town of Vittoria has stood fifty years behind tightly guarded walls, keeping magically created monsters at bay, the residents unable to go more than a couple of miles outside and only on daytime. They know they are the last people in the world, after a magical plague unleashed by a sorcerer killed everyone else.
Octavia is a twelve-year-old girl who dreams of becoming a hunter of the monsters like her mother and her recently died eldest sister. But her parents have different ideas and apprentice her to learn magic instead. But she’s a headstrong, wilful girl, and she ventures outside the wall anyway. There, against everything she knows to be true, she meets a girl who isn’t from her town. Sima tells her the world is still out there.
But instead of haling this news as a miracle like Octavia expects, the town leader denies everything and locks her new friend up. It’s up to Octavia to save Sima and find the truth about the world.
This was a good book with a solid plot about fear and how it cripples you, and people who cling to power no matter the cost to others. I’m not entirely sure though, that it was a good MG book.
Octavia, despite being twelve, behaved like a much older kid, with strength and skills to match, and ability to figure out complex issues that adults somehow had missed. The story gave her responsibilities beyond her age, and then handed the crucial parts for grownups to solve, sidelining her. The chapters were too long for younger readers and slowed the pace, and I was annoyed with the stereotypical representation of Sima and her culture.
Nonetheless, as long as I imagined Octavia as a sixteen-year-old, I was able to enjoy the story. The ending was conclusive, so this was likely a stand-alone, but it might be interesting to read Octavia explore the world.
I received a free copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
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