Bound To Stay Bound

School Library Journal - 07/19/2024 Gr 8 Up—Leopold Berry lost his mother to cancer when he was 12, and the subsequent five years with an overbearing and aggressive father have done nothing to assuage his grief. Leopold also experiences strange visions, things that seem more at home in his beloved 1990s fantasy series Max's Adventures in Sunderworld than modern Los Angeles. Leopold discovered it in a box of his mom's old VHS tapes, and his obsession with watching and rewatching the show, coupled with producing new scenes with his best friend, Emmet, serve to create a bond to her memory. So when he and Emmet actually find Sunder after a ride on a broken-down railway trolley, he is ready to experience all the promises of Max's adventures despite the perils that lie within. Riggs generates interest both through Leopold's exploration of the mysterious connection his mother had with Sunder, as well as the consequences of Leopold and Emmet's initial visit there. He also pokes fun at the "chosen one" motif when Leopold embarrasses himself in front of the Sunder community on a channeler test, becoming memed into "Lunchtray Larry." But less successful is the magic of Sunder, which, when coupled with Leopold's initial visions, presents as gritty and occasionally bizarre. Clearly intended as a multi-book series, a cliff-hanger mystery sets the focus for the sequel. VERDICT An easy sell to any fan of Riggs's "Peculiar Children" series, though its quirks limit the appeal to a broader fantasy audience. A general purchase.—Michael Van Wambeke - Copyright 2024 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.

School Library Journal - 07/19/2024 Gr 8 Up—Leopold Berry lost his mother to cancer when he was 12, and the subsequent five years with an overbearing and aggressive father have done nothing to assuage his grief. Leopold also experiences strange visions, things that seem more at home in his beloved 1990s fantasy series Max's Adventures in Sunderworld than modern Los Angeles. Leopold discovered it in a box of his mom's old VHS tapes, and his obsession with watching and rewatching the show, coupled with producing new scenes with his best friend, Emmet, serve to create a bond to her memory. So when he and Emmet actually find Sunder after a ride on a broken-down railway trolley, he is ready to experience all the promises of Max's adventures despite the perils that lie within. Riggs generates interest both through Leopold's exploration of the mysterious connection his mother had with Sunder, as well as the consequences of Leopold and Emmet's initial visit there. He also pokes fun at the "chosen one" motif when Leopold embarrasses himself in front of the Sunder community on a channeler test, becoming memed into "Lunchtray Larry." But less successful is the magic of Sunder, which, when coupled with Leopold's initial visions, presents as gritty and occasionally bizarre. Clearly intended as a multi-book series, a cliff-hanger mystery sets the focus for the sequel. VERDICT An easy sell to any fan of Riggs's "Peculiar Children" series, though its quirks limit the appeal to a broader fantasy audience. A general purchase.—Michael Van Wambeke - Copyright 2024 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.

Booklist - 08/01/2024 *Starred Review* This first installment in the new YA urban fantasy series from worldwide best-seller Riggs (Miss Peregrine’s Peculiar Children series) delivers strange happenings, self-determination, and spontaneous combustion in a coming-of-age tale that begs the question, what if you were granted access to the magical world you’d always dreamed of—but only from the cheap seats? The only exceptional things about aggressively average 17-year-old Leopold Berry are his dissociative episodes: visions about Sunderworld, a magical realm parallel to ours and the setting of his favorite ’90s TV show. Turns out, Sunder is real, and Leopold is a magic-wielding “spark,” capable of traveling between realms and casting spells. He’s just not a particularly good one. Following a haphazard initiation into Sunder, Leopold fails his magical aptitude test and is banned from Sunder forever. Banished, alone, and now a fugitive in both worlds, Leopold evades the LAPD and Sunder authorities while following clues left by his late mother, which lead him to new allies and to the realization that he might be more powerful than he knew—magical or not. Leopold’s battle for selfhood balances hope, disillusionment, and perseverance in the face of a topsy-turvy reality and an emotionally unavailable father. Like the bittersweet Los Angeles it occupies, Leopold’s offbeat Sunderworld is a little grimy and a little broken, but the magic is real and will stick with you. - Copyright 2024 Booklist.