A sometimes-familiar, sometimes-inventive start to an electric new fantasy series.
An English teen learns of an ancient war between supernatural sects in Davey’s debut YA fantasy, the first in a series.
Over 5,000 years ago in Anatolia, a village was visited by a group of tall, perfectly symmetrical warriors. They soon won the trust of the villagers by helping them drive off their enemies and sharing their remarkable crafting skills. The local shaman, however, was suspicious of these Irin, as the warriors called themselves. With the help of his apprentice, he proved that the strangers were not what they seemed. A conflict soon erupted between the villagers and their new enemy. The villagers won a Pyrrhic victory, but not before the Irin left a lasting legacy gestating in the wombs of many of the village’s women. In 2012 London, high school student Jake O’Callan is enjoying hanging out with his nerdy best friend, Donovan, and popular cousin Maddie as well as new friends (and troublemakers) Jason and Rhys. Even so, Jake’s nights are marred by strange dreams involving battles with angels. Meanwhile, across town, the wealthy Lord Calvin conducts dangerous experiments, attempting to communicate with powerful beings in another dimension known as the Void. Calvin aspires to someday join the ranks of “the Master Race”: the Irin. When a hit-and-run driver kills Jason in a way that doesn’t seem accidental, Jake finds himself pulled into a secret war that has apparently been going on since the days of the Irin and the shamans—one that has shaped human history. Jake, it turns out, shares blood ties with both sides of the conflict, which ensures he faces dangers everywhere. With the help of his surviving friends and an ancient Egyptian priest, a 6-year-old witch, and a neural implant, will Jake be able to save the world—and himself?
The universe Davey creates is vast in both space and time, weaving together multiple mythological traditions. The writing navigates various registers—from solemn to campy to cheeky—with aplomb. Here, Jake’s mother, Taine, explains the bestselling figurines in her occult shop: “Cute fairies for the kids, gothic or romantic ones for the adults….All sorts, really. We reckon it’s a hangover from The Lord of the Rings. I think people are buying them because they don’t buy religious figurines anymore.” The book is at its best when dealing with Jake and his friends, who, unlike their counterparts in many YA fantasies, actually come across as real teenagers. Some of the other elements tread a bit more into the stereotypical: Lord Calvin’s villainy is fully cartoonish at times. The basic premise is familiar, but the intricate in-world mythology, with its shades of H.P. Lovecraft and Philip Pullman, is compelling enough that the reader wants to see the knot untangled. This book seems mostly a setup for future volumes, but Davey will likely recruit some eager fans with it.
A sometimes-familiar, sometimes-inventive start to an electric new fantasy series.Pub Date: July 9, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-83859-451-0
Page Count: 352
Publisher: Matador
Review Posted Online: Dec. 16, 2020
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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 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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