Offers muted charms.
Expectations weigh heavily—even on those who are passed over.
Princess Elodie will not inherit her mother’s throne even though she’s the eldest. She has trained to be Queen’s Regent to her youngest sister, Brianne, who is the third daughter of a third daughter and supposedly the second coming of the church’s revered New Maiden. But now the Chaplain, who’s also the girls’ father, has usurped even that role from her. Skeptical of the church’s motives, Elodie seeks a potion to put 13-year-old Brianne to sleep until she comes of age at 17. That would mean Elodie could meanwhile rule in her stead. Apothecary Sabine sells her family’s potions, which are given more potency from a special ingredient: Sabine’s tears, which are the manifestation of her magic, a darkness that literally coats her veins in blackness. Sabine accidentally gives Elodie a bottle of her tears, and there’s no telling what the result might be or if Sabine can reverse its effect. The two 17-year-old girls are thrown together in a web of power-grabbing intrigue, diluted prophecies, familial expectations, slow-burn Sapphic romance, and building magic. This fantasy world comes with a layered faux religious backstory, but it includes a few layers too many. Characters fulfill their assigned roles but remain flat on the page, and more is explained than witnessed, so even betrayals feel deflated. The prospect of a sequel set up at the end is likewise lackluster. With one minor exception, most characters are described as pale.
Offers muted charms. (Fantasy. 14-18)Pub Date: July 18, 2023
ISBN: 9780316465694
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Christy Ottaviano Books
Review Posted Online: May 9, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2023
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
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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