A well-developed character study that does justice to the fantasy genre.
After years spent hiding her identity, a misanthropic princess-turned-thief must join the army in the fight to reclaim her rightful place as royalty in this fantasy sequel.
Ari Debouryne and Ely Novian are on the run. The 20-somethings have stolen the dragith stone and Ari has been forced to reveal her true identity as Princess Ariana, rightful heir to a usurped throne. She’s kept this fact guarded for many years, living a fierce, solitary life with only her symbiotic animal familiar (the bobcat Jagger, “whose purrs [rumble] joyfully into the air and the earth” when she pets him) for company. This novel’s events directly follow those of Barkley’s debut novel, A Memory of Light (2021) and no attempt is made to orient new readers. When Ari finds her underworld contact dying, she and Ely feel obliged to take the dragith stone to the Third Army gathering against the Malavi usurpers. The stone, it transpires, is a weapon that only Ely can wield. Ari may be able to keep him safe, but if she stays, she will be hailed as a princess—a title that comes with responsibilities. Can she reconcile the past and present and find a way forward? Barkley writes from Ari’s and Ely’s third-person perspectives and very occasionally from a lesser character’s, which affords readers a wider understanding of the main conflict. Ari is a remarkable protagonist—strong yet distant, and always tightly controlled. Her relationship with Ely is one of tolerance, unshakable camaraderie, burgeoning friendship, and perhaps something more. This uncertainty is representative of a story that eschews predictable genre conventions; for example, the magical artifact is a MacGuffin that the characters fight not to use, and the final battle plays out not in rousing overview but in breathless, confused flashes. Barkley’s prose is occasionally poetic, but the narrative itself is unromantic and the dialogue realistic. Events gain impetus from character development rather than tricks of plotting or prose, and the final resolution proves more bitter than sweet—an outcome that many fantasy fans will welcome.
A well-developed character study that does justice to the fantasy genre.Pub Date: July 26, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-63988-416-2
Page Count: 524
Publisher: Atmosphere Press
Review Posted Online: July 8, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2022
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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
This fresh reworking of a Greek myth will resonate.
An otherworldly Latinx retelling of the Orpheus and Eurydice myth set in the South Bronx.
Pheus visits his father in the Bronx every summer. The Afro-Dominican teen is known for his mesmerizing bachata music, love of history, and smooth way with the ladies. Eury, a young Puerto Rican woman and Hurricane Maria survivor, is staying with her cousin for the summer because of a recent, unspecified traumatic event. Her family doesn’t know that she’s been plagued since childhood by the demonlike Ato. Pheus and Eury bond over music and quickly fall in love. Attacked at a dance club by Sileno, its salacious and satyrlike owner, Eury falls into a coma and is taken to el Inframundo by Ato. Pheus, despite his atheism, follows the advice of his father and a local bruja to journey to find his love in the Underworld. Rivera skillfully captures the sounds and feels of the Bronx—its unique, diverse culture and the creeping gentrification of its neighborhoods. Through an amalgamation of Greek, Roman, and Taíno mythology and religious beliefs, gaslighting, the colonization of Puerto Rico, Afro-Latinidad identity, and female empowerment are woven into the narrative. While the pacing lags in the middle, secondary characters aren’t fully developed, and the couple’s relationship borders on instalove, the rush of a summertime romance feels realistic. Rivera’s complex world is well realized, and the dialogue rings true. All protagonists are Latinx.
This fresh reworking of a Greek myth will resonate. (Fabulism. 14-adult)Pub Date: Sept. 15, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-5476-0373-2
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Review Posted Online: June 24, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2020
PERSPECTIVES
BOOK TO SCREEN
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