Lovable characters, daring missions, and striking villains make this supernatural tale a rousing read.
Pirates, an airship, and a sea witch collide in this historical fantasy set in 1806.
If Napoleon Bonaparte’s reign isn’t enough to keep most people frightened, the fact that there’s a sea witch lurking in the waters definitely will. That is, if they find out about her. Unfortunately for Capt. Ryland Coldwell, who lost his ship and crew, he’s very much aware of the witch and her schemes. Many years ago, Ryland and Gwenifer Byrnes were in love, but she became involved in dark magic and turned into “a monster.” When he tried to kill her by sinking his ship, she crashed into the depths of the sea. In those murky waters, Gwenifer made a deal (“She had sworn an oath to something sinister, and instead of departing this world, she had been spared”). But Ryland was affected, too: He was cursed with immortality. Plagued by the witch’s machinations, he is now stuck in the West Indies, unable to escape by sea. So imagine Ryland’s good fortune when he happens upon an airship stranded in a cove. Helping the crew combat some pirates intent on stealing the airship, Ryland earns enough goodwill with the captain to secure passage on the craft. Traveling by air instead of by sea means that he can avoid the witch’s storms that have kept him trapped in the West Indies. And maybe, he can finally get his revenge on the woman who sentenced him to this wretched life and has haunted the seas for the last century (“I’ll find you, witch, he thought, feeling his jaw clench. Be ready”). Ryland is prepared for his immortality to end, but the airship’s crew, especially the beautiful, young female engineer, Emmeline Whittock, will make this decision his toughest one yet. In this riveting book, Dunnewin delivers richly developed characters in a tale of adventure, love, and loss. The crew of the airship is small, but the mates have distinct personalities that make them a captivating bunch. Still, Ryland, a reformed pirate, is the true star of the story, and is likely to steal readers’ hearts. This complex, well-drawn character is the type of morally gray hero that will stick with the audience long after the vivid novel has ended.
Lovable characters, daring missions, and striking villains make this supernatural tale a rousing read.Pub Date: May 20, 2025
ISBN: N/A
Page Count: 596
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: June 18, 2025
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
An engaging, imaginative narrative hampered by its lack of subtlety.
The Medusa myth, reimagined as an Afrocentric, feminist tale with the Gorgon recast as avenging hero.
In mythological Greece, where gods still have a hand in the lives of humans, 17-year-old Medusa lives on an island with her parents, old sea gods who were overthrown at the rise of the Olympians, and her sisters, Euryale and Stheno. The elder sisters dote on Medusa and bond over the care of her “locs...my dearest physical possession.” Their idyll is broken when Euryale is engaged to be married to a cruel demi-god. Medusa intervenes, and a chain of events leads her to a meeting with the goddess Athena, who sees in her intelligence, curiosity, and a useful bit of rage. Athena chooses Medusa for training in Athens to become a priestess at the Parthenon. She joins the other acolytes, a group of teenage girls who bond, bicker, and compete in various challenges for their place at the temple. As an outsider, Medusa is bullied (even in ancient Athens white girls rudely grab a Black girl’s hair) and finds a best friend in Apollonia. She also meets a nameless boy who always seems to be there whenever she is in need; this turns out to be Poseidon, who is grooming the inexplicably naïve Medusa. When he rapes her, Athena finds out and punishes Medusa and her sisters by transforming their locs into snakes. The sisters become Gorgons, and when colonizing men try to claim their island, the killing begins. Telling a story of Black female power through the lens of ancient myth is conceptually appealing, but this novel published as adult fiction reads as though intended for a younger audience.
An engaging, imaginative narrative hampered by its lack of subtlety.Pub Date: Nov. 18, 2025
ISBN: 9780593733769
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: Aug. 16, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2025
A multilayered exploration of the complacent as complicit, all within a unique yet relatable magic system.
An orphaned prince on the run gets a chance at freedom if he can become one of his would-be enslavers.
Three years ago, when the Hierarchy killed his family, 17-year-old Vis Solum had to hide in their Republic, bury his rage, and pretend to support the population’s enslavement in order to survive. The Hierarchy is built on Will—a person’s mental and physical energy—ceded by the low to those above them, and then again, all the way to the top of the three pyramids of leadership: Military, Governance, and Religion. Will powers carts and carriages, keeps vaults locked, and gives Will-users inhuman abilities while sapping ceders of their health and life span. So far, Vis has managed to refuse the ritual to cede his Will. Now, he has little more than a year before he legally has to cede or have his Will drained by Sappers. When Senator Quintus Ulciscor Telimus offers Vis the chance to escape ceding for at least another year, and perhaps never do it at all, Vis agrees. The man officially adopts him so he can attend the Catenan Academy, where all students are tested and prepared for the highest Hierarchy positions. If Vis dominates at the Academy, he can choose a position where he doesn’t need to cede or receive Will at all, far away from the Hierarchy. In return, Vis must act as a spy to prove Religion is unearthing a dangerous weapon. Then, when Vis is blackmailed to act as a double agent, everything changes. In order to succeed, he must become one of those he so hates while keeping his true identity a secret. If he doesn’t, he’ll end up dead, or worse. This Roman-inspired fantasy starts slow but more than makes up for it soon enough. With the inevitable comparisons in mind, fans of Pierce Brown's Red Rising will enjoy this book, but it’s darker, deeper, and takes unexpected paths worth traveling. Trust that the author will get you there in the end.
A multilayered exploration of the complacent as complicit, all within a unique yet relatable magic system.Pub Date: May 23, 2023
ISBN: 9781982141172
Page Count: 688
Publisher: Saga/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: March 27, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2023
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