A turbulent force driven by breathtaking, high-stakes suspense that resolves with a satisfying sigh.
In this conclusion to an Italian-inspired fantasy duology, Teo di Sangro fights to save her home from invasion and to free other magic users from living in secrecy and oppression.
War and domination under the Eterran empire advance on the land of Vinalia from the outside while the regime of power-hungry men wounds the people from the inside. Streghe (magic users of Vinalia), like the ambitious “sun-browned” Teo, live threatened by subjugation or death at the hands of the Capo, the tyrant forcing Vinalia to unify under his banner. Having escaped the Capo once, Teo and her lover, Cielo (a white genderfluid strega), seek to stop Vinalia’s cycle of violence. In the midst of sizzling schemes and fiery romance, Capetta (The Lost Coast, 2019, etc.) brings to light the pervasive damage that patriarchy inflicts on people and relationships. Another important theme throughout the progression of the conflict is that in war, “there is only a side that loses less.” The dialogue is witty and full of cutting exchanges. Although the story’s pace never slows, Capetta continues to expand on the world around Teo, showing glimpses of cultures beyond Vinalia and how magic changes based on who uses it. Wild with thrilling shifts and electrifying prose, this passionate storm carries the story to a worthy end.
A turbulent force driven by breathtaking, high-stakes suspense that resolves with a satisfying sigh. (map) (Fantasy. 14-18)Pub Date: Jan. 28, 2020
ISBN: 978-0-451-47847-4
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Viking
Review Posted Online: Oct. 20, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2019
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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
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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