Creative and immersive but let down by inconsistencies.
An angel and a teenage boy must work together to battle a soulless evil intent on destruction.
Fifteen-year-old Ferren has only known life as one of the People, a “primitive” population on a post-apocalyptic Earth, continually threatened by the war waged by the armies of Heaven. As part of their alliance with the militaristic Humens that Farren’s community in Australia lives in fear of, they are expected to surrender a member each year. First Ferren’s parents were taken by the Humens, and then his older sister was selected, leaving him with a lonely existence. Ferren isn’t close with any of the People; most think he is odd. After a particularly brutal fight between the Humens and angels, the People’s sworn enemies, Ferren stumbles upon Miriael, a wounded angel “in the feminine mode” whom he is fascinated by and restores to health. From Miriael, Ferren comes to a new and shocking understanding of the truth. The story’s strengths hinge on the originality of the premise and worldbuilding; other elements suffer from insufficient depth, however. Apart from unlikely allies Miriael and Ferren, the characters are underdeveloped and fail to intrigue. The intended readership is unclear, as some aspects feel very simple and childlike, in stark contrast to the level of explicit violence. Human characters are minimally described and racially ambiguous; the “tribes” of People are distinguished by the colors of their “loincloths” and “breast-bands.”
Creative and immersive but let down by inconsistencies. (map, timeline, angelology) (Science fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: Nov. 6, 2023
ISBN: 9781922856296
Page Count: 242
Publisher: IFWG Publishing
Review Posted Online: Aug. 26, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2023
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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
A thoughtful and thrilling story of life, death, and meaning.
Two teens train to be society-sanctioned killers in an otherwise immortal world.
On post-mortal Earth, humans live long (if not particularly passionate) lives without fear of disease, aging, or accidents. Operating independently of the governing AI (called the Thunderhead since it evolved from the cloud), scythes rely on 10 commandments, quotas, and their own moral codes to glean the population. After challenging Hon. Scythe Faraday, 16-year-olds Rowan Damisch and Citra Terranova reluctantly become his apprentices. Subjected to killcraft training, exposed to numerous executions, and discouraged from becoming allies or lovers, the two find themselves engaged in a fatal competition but equally determined to fight corruption and cruelty. The vivid and often violent action unfolds slowly, anchored in complex worldbuilding and propelled by political machinations and existential musings. Scythes’ journal entries accompany Rowan’s and Citra’s dual and dueling narratives, revealing both personal struggles and societal problems. The futuristic post–2042 MidMerican world is both dystopia and utopia, free of fear, unexpected death, and blatant racism—multiracial main characters discuss their diverse ethnic percentages rather than purity—but also lacking creativity, emotion, and purpose. Elegant and elegiac, brooding but imbued with gallows humor, Shusterman’s dark tale thrusts realistic, likable teens into a surreal situation and raises deep philosophic questions.
A thoughtful and thrilling story of life, death, and meaning. (Science fiction. 14 & up)Pub Date: Nov. 29, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-4424-7242-6
Page Count: 448
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: July 25, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2016
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