Kiki Strike: The Empress's Tomb

by: Kristen Miller

Published by: Bloomsbury Children's Books

Reviewed by Andrea Sisco

I know the title is Kiki Strike: The Empress’s Tomb but for me, the series is all about fourteen-year-old narrator Ananka Fishbein. She’s living the life! She goes to an exclusive school, has exciting adventures in the Shadow City, hangs out with a unique group of girls, and lives in glamorous Manhattan.

But living an exciting life can sometimes get the best of a person. Ananka is no exception. Her duties with her friends have placed her in a perilous position. She needs to stay awake in school and get better grades, or she’s going to be shipped off to a remote boarding school. That can’t happen! Especially since Kiki is in need of help, not that Kiki would admit it. Kiki’s vicious relatives are still after her. And Oona is in some deep trouble also. It’s so serious, she doesn’t want to share the seriousness with her friends, the Irregulars (who have secrets of their own).

New York City is being overrun by giant squirrels, Oona’s evil father takes up residence in a haunted mansion and wants to reconcile with her, and Betty is in love with an unusual character. And there are also kidnapped children, and an Empress’s reputation at stake. Will Ananka, Kiki and the gang solve the mysteries without losing their lives? And if they live, will Ananka be forced to leave her school and friends for a rural boarding school?

The primary criticism I had with the first Kiki Strike book was that the Irregulars were interchangeable. We didn’t get to know them, and consequently didn’t have a deep concern about their welfare. Author Kirsten Miller begins solving that issue in her current book. We see a bit more of Oona and Betty, and therefore care about them. I’m hoping that Miller does the same with the other girls in the next book.

The Kiki Strike series is fun and has a fascinating premise: a Shadow City under New York City. Every time I walk the streets of New York, I think about the Shadow City and wonder if it’s real. Miller has been successful when she can get a “mature” woman to believe.

Armchair Interviews says: The Kiki Strike series is a winner.

Author’s Web site: http://www.KikiStrike.com