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
Fear the reaper(s)…but relish this intelligent and entertaining blend of dark humor and high death tolls.
Death proves impermanent in this sequel to Scythe (2016).
In a world run by the (almost) all-powerful and (almost) omniscient artificial intelligence Thunderhead, only the Honorable Scythes deal permanent death to near-immortal humans. Yet a growing contingent of scythes, feared and flattered by society and operating outside the Thunderhead’s control, are proving rather dishonorable. No longer apprentices, 18-year-olds Citra Terranova and Rowan Damisch realize “the scythedom is…high school with murder” as they watch their fellow scythes jockey for power and prestige. Citra now gleans as Scythe Anastasia, questioning the status quo but also opposing the homicidally enthusiastic “new-order” scythes and their dangerous demagogue. Self-appointed as Scythe Lucifer, Rowan hunts other scythes whom he deems corrupt. Meanwhile, the existentially troubled Thunderhead questions its role as both creation and caretaker of humanity, sworn not to take life but fearing that its utopia will otherwise collapse into dystopia. Nationality and race are minimally mentioned—ethnic biases and genocide are considered very gauche—yet a population that defies death, aging, sickness, poverty, and war risks becoming bleakly homogenous, alleviated only by “unsavories” and scythes. This sequel digs deeper into Shusterman’s complex world and complicated characters, offering political maneuvering, fatal conspiracies, and impending catastrophe via a slowly unfurling plot and startling bursts of action.
Fear the reaper(s)…but relish this intelligent and entertaining blend of dark humor and high death tolls. (Science fiction. 14-adult)Pub Date: Jan. 9, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-4424-7245-7
Page Count: 512
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Nov. 21, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2017
A powerful commentary on colonization and the right to rebel.
A 15-year-old conscripted into an army of child soldiers investigates her mother’s disappearance.
Being born a Scion, or human who inherits the powers of Yoruba deities, is a crime in Nagea. Sloane, the powerful descendant of Shango, the god of heat and fire, has àse: blood magic that ripples under her dark skin. Not yet controlled, it makes her a literal walking inferno when she is distressed. Drafted into the army ruled by the 13 Luci bloodlines who conquered and colonized Nagea under one rotating monarchy over three centuries ago, Sloane chooses not to run away even though her Baba warns her about the risks of going to the Lucis’ island stronghold: “A Scion in Avalon is a sheep in a lion’s den.” Determined to find out what happened to her mother, Sloane will do whatever it takes, removing any obstacle—human or otherwise—in search of the answers she needs. Sloane’s internal conflicts over her necessarily kill-or-be-killed attitude once on the base are grounded and relatable even as she endures immense physical and emotional violence. The well-paced closing action of the book is tidy, providing satisfactory resolutions for enough of the main mysteries while still leaving readers wanting more. With so much conflict to engage with, however, it’s difficult to get a full sense of the worldbuilding in this intriguing duology opener set in a Nigerian mythology–inspired setting.
A powerful commentary on colonization and the right to rebel. (Fantasy. 14-18)Pub Date: March 8, 2022
ISBN: 978-0-06-295404-6
Page Count: 432
Publisher: HarperTeen
Review Posted Online: Dec. 23, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2022
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