Kirkus has been considered a barometer of literary quality since 1933

 A prestigious award

I'm so happy for my fellow author and friend, David James, who received a glowing review and the award that Kirkus doesn't give out easily.

A Kirkus review functions as a high‑credibility signal inside the publishing ecosystem, especially for discoverability, industry attention, and marketing power. Its influence comes from its long history, its reputation for being blunt and independent, and the fact that librarians, booksellers, agents, and reviewers actively monitor it. A positive Kirkus review is treated as a mark of prestige. 

Escala's Wish - the Kirkus review to be proud of

ON AMAZON

A classic quest narrative that lovers of fairy tales are likely to enjoy.

"In James’ fantasy novel, the disastrous consequences of a single kiss cause a faerie to lose almost everything.

Escala Winter wants to understand what it is to fall in love. She decides to kiss a mortal man, but when a wolf kills both that man and Escala’s best friend, Rihanna, the blame falls on Escala herself. She’s broken fey law, and her father, the ruler of the Court of Dreams, must judge her and decide her fate. Lord Rowan is torn between duty and love, while his wife, Morvena, plots the destruction of the stepdaughter who stands in the way of her own daughter Audrey’s ascendance. Rowan manages to save Escala’s life, but she’s banished from the court and forced to take on the body of an elf. She’s also condemned to live on the material plane unless she’s able to “remove the boulders from the True Cycle”—but what these boulders actually are remains a mystery: “It’s part of my sentence…I don’t know what it means.” Meanwhile, Morvena still wants the crown for herself and her daughter. She forms an alliance with Victor Graves and plans to kill both Escala and Rowan; Victor’s son, Jonathan, was the man Escala kissed, and Escala’s mother, Teresa, rejected Victor long ago. Escala, meanwhile, forges ahead on her quest and soon meets Harper and Roedyn, who initially believe her to be an elf but agree to assist her. They soon face direwolves and dragons alongside newfound friends Sticky and the Bard Wigfrith, who narrates the story. Later, it becomes clear that only Escala stands a chance of saving the Court of Dreams.

James’ novel is a high fantasy fable that draws from epic-quest myths and fairy tales to tell a story of redemption, duty, and love. Escala proves to be a compelling protagonist—the child of the ruler of the Court of Dreams and a mortal woman who left the Court, for fear that her daughter would never be accepted if she remained. The story’s dramatic stakes are established quite early on, as is the theme of Escala’s quest to understand the nature of love. The framing of the story, in which the Bard Wigfrith retells the tale for patrons at a tavern, adds a layer of narrative complexity that ameliorates some of the storytelling’s more didactic elements. It would have been intriguing if Wigfrith’s character development had a bit more depth, which might have made readers question the reliability of his narration. As it stands, however, the narrative is well paced throughout and evocative of many classic fantasy tales. The threat that Escala faces is also typical of a great many myths, and although a bit more could have been done to add nuance to the villains’ motives and to the lessons that Escala learns, the narrative arc is satisfying overall. Escala’s true quest is to learn to love and, by doing so, to aid the people who are most important to her.

A classic quest narrative that lovers of fairy tales are likely to enjoy."

January 7, 2026

https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/david-james-2/escalas-wish/

The author

David James

David James (DJ) is an attorney and lives in Northborough, Massachusetts, with his wife, Tonya, who has somehow endured thirty years of his endless parade of ridiculous character voices echoing through the house. Together, they’ve raised three wonderful children, now off conquering the world through college, law school, and Boston courtrooms.

When he’s not writing fantasy novels, designing campaigns, or crafting multi-page backstories, DJ records and publishes Christian hip-hop under the stage name “DJ the Not So Ordinary.” His music is available on all major streaming platforms.

DJ is the creator of his homebrew fantasy world Valla. He is already hard at work on his second novel set in Valla, because, apparently, sleep is optional when your imagination won’t shut up.

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