Griffin Speaker is the first book in a middle grade fantasy series by Jan M. Flynn. Released 5th May 2026 by Disney on their Hyperion imprint, it's 384 pages and is available in hardcover and ebook formats. Paperback format due out in 2nd quarter 2027 from the same publisher. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links.
This is an absolutely not-nuanced lambasting of socially stratified societies, colonialism, and political systems. It's sort of a more kid friendly dystopian novel such as Hunger Games, than any sort of cozy fantasy. The pacing is quite uneven, but the world building is interesting and well thought out. There isn't a lot of nuance to be found in the story, including the secondary characters, and especially the background structure, but at the end of the day, it's a story about an underdog (Rain) with a special gift, who defies odds to save herself and maybe change the world.
There's not a lot of character development for Rain in this book in the series, but it's the first book, so there's that.
Three and a half stars. It's somewhat depressing for a middle grade reader. It would probably be a good choice for public or secondary school library acquisition, or home library.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.
No comments:
Post a Comment