Reviewed by annieb123 on
Hunters of the Lost City is a superbly written middle grade chapter fantasy by Kali Wallace. Released 26th April 2022 by Quirk Books, it's 304 pages and is available in hardcover, audio, and ebook formats.
The writing is immersive and descriptive. Although it's essentially a coming of age quest fantasy, there are a lot of deeper currents: found family, loyalty, choosing a life path, expectations, loss, and xenophobia which will resonate with middle grade readers. The storytelling isn't derivative at all, but the story will likely appeal to fans of Holly Black and Catherynne M. Valente.
This is not a shy and fluffy tale. Danger, death, and scary monsters lurk. The writing is intentionally direct and might be a trifle overwrought for adult readers in places.
Four stars. This would be a good choice for public library acquisition and home library. It might be a bit scary and too easy to challenge, given the current political climate for banning books in the USA, for inclusion in school library collections. Definitely one for the fans of middle grade fantasy, and this one has a refreshingly adept and courageous/stubborn protagonist.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.
Reading updates
- Started reading
- Finished reading
- 26 April, 2022: Reviewed