Part heist, part meditation on sacrifice, love, and ambition: a riveting coming-of-age tale.
Royal twins Izaveta, raised to become queen, and Asya, who physically embodies the spirit and power of the mythical Firebird, fight to find their ways back to one another after a major betrayal.
Picking up mere days after the explosive events of These Feathered Flames (2021), this duology closer finds Asya desperate to believe that Izaveta survived the Firebird’s price. She places her faith in visiting scholar Nikov, her sister’s one-time confidant, whose research on the Slavic folklore–inspired Firebird’s magic hints at forgotten truths that could reshape the world. But Asya, unmoored at court without her politically savvy sister, is caught between various courtiers’ attempts to fill the currently unoccupied throne through a trial of succession. Brusque, principled Cmdr. Iveshkin, who uses sign language, nominates Asya for the queendom, while disgraced noble Gen. Azarov attempts to leverage the Firebird’s influence in his favor by imprisoning and threatening to execute Asya’s love interest, Yuliana. Meanwhile, a disturbing, ancient power is reemerging, and Izaveta is trapped in its crosshairs. As the twins reevaluate their relationships to the privileges granted by their birthright, they attempt to dismantle toxic dynamics embedded in their national history as well as their own bloodline. The sisters’ alternating voices maintain suspenseful pacing to gradually reveal the true scope—and stakes—of a bitter fight to protect their land and its people from a terrible fate. A White default is assumed.
Part heist, part meditation on sacrifice, love, and ambition: a riveting coming-of-age tale. (map) (Fantasy. 12-18)Pub Date: Dec. 6, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-335-41868-5
Page Count: 496
Publisher: Inkyard Press
Review Posted Online: Dec. 23, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2023
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
An ode to the children of migrants who have been taken away.
A Mexican American boy takes on heavy responsibilities when his family is torn apart.
Mateo’s life is turned upside down the day U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents show up unsuccessfully seeking his Pa at his New York City bodega. The Garcias live in fear until the day both parents are picked up; his Pa is taken to jail and his Ma to a detention center. The adults around Mateo offer support to him and his 7-year-old sister, Sophie, however, he knows he is now responsible for caring for her and the bodega as well as trying to survive junior year—that is, if he wants to fulfill his dream to enter the drama program at the Tisch School of the Arts and become an actor. Mateo’s relationships with his friends Kimmie and Adam (a potential love interest) also suffer repercussions as he keeps his situation a secret. Kimmie is half Korean (her other half is unspecified) and Adam is Italian American; Mateo feels disconnected from them, less American, and with worries they can’t understand. He talks himself out of choosing a safer course of action, a decision that deepens the story. Mateo’s self-awareness and inner monologue at times make him seem older than 16, and, with significant turmoil in the main plot, some side elements feel underdeveloped. Aleman’s narrative joins the ranks of heart-wrenching stories of migrant families who have been separated.
An ode to the children of migrants who have been taken away. (Fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: May 4, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-7595-5605-8
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: Feb. 22, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2021
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
