A tantalizing taste of trickery and enchantment.
Promised wishes, bewitching kisses, wild revels, and treacherous beauty—this collection of 14 tales plays with the beloved tropes found in the lore of faeries and immortal spirits across multiple cultures.
Hoping to save her ailing grandfather, a girl chases a xian in Chloe Gong’s “An Eternal Fire.” In “Fool,” by Rory Power, one faerie courtier ventures to Paris to steal a ballet dancer whom Mab admires. In Dhonielle Clayton’s “The Senescence,” Ambrosia leaves “the faerie ward of New Orleans” for its human counterpart to secure the future of her family’s court. Discontented and heartbroken teens flee from their pasts, bargain to rid themselves of pain, and brave monsters to find lost loved ones; they contend with nightmares, stolen memories, the allure of magic fruit, and the dangerous power of names. Political tension and intrigue swirl in the background, whether the story is set in the faerie realm or the mortal one. Not every tale has a happy ending, but the tricks, bittersweet lessons, and lingering ache of longing are satisfying nonetheless. Some of the stories visit worlds established in the authors’ other novels, but the vivid prose, enticing characters, and self-contained conflicts allow the entries to stand alone. The lineup of contributors, including Anna-Marie McLemore, Kwame Mbalia, L.L. McKinney, and Holly Black, will draw readers in. Fey and human cast members alike reflect a diversity of racial and cultural identities as well as gender identities and sexualities.
A tantalizing taste of trickery and enchantment. (contributor bios) (Anthology. 14-18)Pub Date: Sept. 24, 2024
ISBN: 9781250823847
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Review Posted Online: Aug. 17, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2024
There’s not much plot here, but readers will relish the opportunity to climb inside Autumn’s head.
The finely drawn characters capture readers’ attention in this debut.
Autumn and Phineas, nicknamed Finny, were born a week apart; their mothers are still best friends. Growing up, Autumn and Finny were like peas in a pod despite their differences: Autumn is “quirky and odd,” while Finny is “sweet and shy and everyone like[s] him.” But in eighth grade, Autumn and Finny stop being friends due to an unexpected kiss. They drift apart and find new friends, but their friendship keeps asserting itself at parties, shared holiday gatherings and random encounters. In the summer after graduation, Autumn and Finny reconnect and are finally ready to be more than friends. But on August 8, everything changes, and Autumn has to rely on all her strength to move on. Autumn’s coming-of-age is sensitively chronicled, with a wide range of experiences and events shaping her character. Even secondary characters are well-rounded, with their own histories and motivations.
There’s not much plot here, but readers will relish the opportunity to climb inside Autumn’s head. (Fiction. 14 & up)Pub Date: April 1, 2013
ISBN: 978-1-4022-7782-5
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Review Posted Online: Feb. 12, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2013
BOOK REVIEW
SEEN & HEARD
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
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