The Star Shard

January 1, 2012
Mediocre fantasy fare buckles under a preposterous physical setting. Cymbril lives aboard the Thunder Rake, a "wheeled city" on a wagon, with "stables, houses, towers, gardens--even a rippling canal" big enough for two bridges. On "wheels seven times as tall as a man," the Rake is propelled across land by a rowing system of levers, gears and "tremendous claws, gouging the ground, drawing the vessel forward." Because the claws destroy the ground, the Rake must "follow the wildest country where no one built or planted," yet it reaches "cities and towns" regularly to sell merchandise. Another logic flaw big enough to drive a wagon city through is the Rake's ability, despite being of city-width, to abruptly steer left or right to avoid an obstacle just ahead. Cymbril, a glamorous slave ("[p]eople tended to stare at her startling blue eyes, her olive-golden skin, and, most of all, her shining hair"), sings while Rake merchants sell wares; at night she creeps around the Rake finding magical objects and, once, an entire dark market. As a classic mischievous orphan of unknown parentage, she naturally befriends enslaved Fey boy Loric, and they attempt escape. Overt anti-slavery themes sit uneasily alongside portrayals of the Urrmsh, explicitly free creatures whose description metaphorically echoes happy plantation slaves and wise natives. Plot and characters are fine (though stock), but they can't overcome the credulity-straining setup. (sheet music with lyrics) (Fantasy. 9-12)

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March 1, 2012
Grades 5-8 Cymbril is a young orphan girl living on the Thunder Rake, a wheeled market city that travels the land setting up shop wherever it encounters habitation. Cymbril's job is to sing in the hopes of attracting crowds who will shop. Although she spends her free time roaming the darker corners of the Rake and trying to stay out of trouble, she is in reality a slave, owned by the Rake's amoral master, Rombol. When Rombol purchases a Fey boy named Loric, Cymbril feels an immediate connection. She discovers a secret, magic parallel dimension to the Rake, as well as the truth about her own identity. Durbin has created a world that, though mainly confined to a single mobile city, comes alive with fantastic creatures and a varied cast of supporting characters. Cymbril herself is a strong heroineloyal, resourceful, and brave. While this story is satisfactorily concluded with surprise revelations and limited loose ends, there is plenty of scope for a follow-up.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2012, American Library Association.)

July 1, 2012
In a medieval-flavored colossal city that moves around on wheels, Cymbril is a slave girl. When the city's master buys a Fey boy, Cymbril befriends him and pieces together her own history as they plot their escape. The fairy boy is a bit too all-knowing for true credibility, but this otherwise thoughtful and well-paced story is rich with mystery and magic.

(Copyright 2012 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)