A rousing tale about a young woman coming to terms with an unresolved past.
A young woman finds herself between two worlds in Fox’s YA SF coming-of-age story.
Leeta Simtar, who’s well above 6 feet tall, is like many other teenage girls in that she yearns for greater freedom than her life on the planet Fure will allow—a feeling that’s only underscored by her status as a “Brid,” or interspecies hybrid. This is a world anchored by rote order, as its motto (“One mind. One goal. One family”) suggests, and Leeta’s impetuous brashness proves to be a naturally poor fit. Inevitably, Leeta is sent for a sit-down with Fure’s stern, omnipresent overlord, the Daht, but not for punishment. Leeta and her friend, Zertee, are being sent to Ganymede on a field expedition to survey its biological life, under strict supervision, as the Daht reminds them (“I will be tracking your APEDs [All-Purpose Electronic Devices]at all times”)—although later, they go to Earth without authorization. A mystery gift from the Daht dramatically upends Leeta’s life by helping to unlock crucial secrets about her past, and she feels compelled to break from the mission to explore them further. It places her on a collision course with UFO conspiracist Rick Rodriguez, whose paranoid actions may yield essential clues. Putting the pieces together will also require the cooperation of Richard Rutherford, who’s still reeling from his son’s unsolved disappearance, which occurred 18 years before Leeta’s arrival. Over the course of Fox’s novel, the way in which the adventurous young Leeta sets about her task will naturally thrill any reader who’s ever had to deal with Daht-style moralism from people in their orbit; some of these dictates are sure to be uncomfortably familiar to any young rebel, such as “You must try harder to be one with us.” Boldly presented in a third-person, present-tense narrative style from Leeta’s perspective, Fox’s novel tells a richly told story of going rogue, on a grand scale, for the greater good—even as she’s pushed to her breaking point.
A rousing tale about a young woman coming to terms with an unresolved past.Pub Date: March 11, 2025
ISBN: 9781943649129
Page Count: 314
Publisher: Electric Eggplant
Review Posted Online: Feb. 13, 2025
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
A lackluster and sometimes disturbing mishmash of overused tropes.
The Plague has left a population divided between Elites and Ordinaries—those who have powers and those who don’t; now, an Ordinary teen fights for her life.
Paedyn Gray witnessed the king kill her father five years ago, and she’s been thieving and sleeping rough ever since, all while faking Psychic abilities. When she inadvertently saves the life of Prince Kai, she becomes embroiled in the Purging Trials, a competition to commemorate the sickness that killed most of the kingdom’s Ordinaries. Kai’s duties as the future Enforcer include eradicating any remaining Ordinaries, and these Trials are his chance to prove that he’s internalized his brutal training. But Kai can’t help but find Pae’s blue eyes, silver hair, and unabashed attitude enchanting. She likewise struggles to resist his stormy gray eyes, dark hair, and rakish behavior, even as they’re pitted against each other in the Trials and by the king himself. Scenes and concepts that are strongly reminiscent of the Hunger Games fall flat: They aren’t bolstered by the original’s heart or worldbuilding logic that would have justified a few extreme story elements. Illogical leaps and inconsistent characterizations abound, with lighthearted romantic interludes juxtaposed against genocide, child abuse, and sadism. These elements, which are not sufficiently addressed, combined with the use of ableist language, cannot be erased by any amount of romantic banter. Main characters are cued white; the supporting cast has some brown-skinned characters.
A lackluster and sometimes disturbing mishmash of overused tropes. (map) (Fantasy. 14-18)Pub Date: Nov. 7, 2023
ISBN: 9798987380406
Page Count: 538
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Sept. 9, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2023
Black is building a complex mythology; now is a great time to tune in.
Black is back with another dark tale of Faerie, this one set in Faerie and launching a new trilogy.
Jude—broken, rebuilt, fueled by anger and a sense of powerlessness—has never recovered from watching her adoptive Faerie father murder her parents. Human Jude (whose brown hair curls and whose skin color is never described) both hates and loves Madoc, whose murderous nature is true to his Faerie self and who in his way loves her. Brought up among the Gentry, Jude has never felt at ease, but after a decade, Faerie has become her home despite the constant peril. Black’s latest looks at nature and nurture and spins a tale of court intrigue, bloodshed, and a truly messed-up relationship that might be the saving of Jude and the titular prince, who, like Jude, has been shaped by the cruelties of others. Fierce and observant Jude is utterly unaware of the currents that swirl around her. She fights, plots, even murders enemies, but she must also navigate her relationship with her complex family (human, Faerie, and mixed). This is a heady blend of Faerie lore, high fantasy, and high school drama, dripping with description that brings the dangerous but tempting world of Faerie to life.
Black is building a complex mythology; now is a great time to tune in. (Fantasy. 14-adult)Pub Date: Jan. 2, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-316-31027-7
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: Sept. 25, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2017
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