As decadent and delicious as it is dense.
Foody lays all the cards on the table as New Reynes’ power players, from crime lords to politicians, play a final, deadly game in this trilogy conclusion.
In this sequel to King of Fools (2019), the curse holding the Shadow Game together is broken, and malison Bryce is using his shade-making blood talent to replace it with a new curse game in a gambit designed to draw in a notorious figure of New Reynes legend, the Bargainer, as a last-ditch effort at saving the life of his lover, Rebecca. It’s an elaborate game of Assassin, in which each of the 22 participants finds a name written on the back of a special Shadow Game card, specifying their target. The first to collect a chain of five cards wins, and anyone who doesn’t hold their assigned target’s card at the end of the game will die. Alongside the game, the true history of New Reynes and the Revolution—and Enne’s mysterious heritage—are among the secrets that unravel. At times, the sprawling plot (with many viewpoints) could use some pruning, but part of the charm is savoring the large number of well-rounded, shades-of-gray characters as they love, make mistakes, hurt, betray, and try to forgive each other. Relationships are particularly strong—familial, friendships, and romances both toxic and healthy; plentiful queer representation thwarts bisexual erasure in particular. As in previous volumes, the cast is racially diverse.
As decadent and delicious as it is dense. (Fantasy. 14-adult)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-335-14586-4
Page Count: 608
Publisher: Inkyard Press
Review Posted Online: July 26, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2020
A lackluster and sometimes disturbing mishmash of overused tropes.
The Plague has left a population divided between Elites and Ordinaries—those who have powers and those who don’t; now, an Ordinary teen fights for her life.
Paedyn Gray witnessed the king kill her father five years ago, and she’s been thieving and sleeping rough ever since, all while faking Psychic abilities. When she inadvertently saves the life of Prince Kai, she becomes embroiled in the Purging Trials, a competition to commemorate the sickness that killed most of the kingdom’s Ordinaries. Kai’s duties as the future Enforcer include eradicating any remaining Ordinaries, and these Trials are his chance to prove that he’s internalized his brutal training. But Kai can’t help but find Pae’s blue eyes, silver hair, and unabashed attitude enchanting. She likewise struggles to resist his stormy gray eyes, dark hair, and rakish behavior, even as they’re pitted against each other in the Trials and by the king himself. Scenes and concepts that are strongly reminiscent of the Hunger Games fall flat: They aren’t bolstered by the original’s heart or worldbuilding logic that would have justified a few extreme story elements. Illogical leaps and inconsistent characterizations abound, with lighthearted romantic interludes juxtaposed against genocide, child abuse, and sadism. These elements, which are not sufficiently addressed, combined with the use of ableist language, cannot be erased by any amount of romantic banter. Main characters are cued white; the supporting cast has some brown-skinned characters.
A lackluster and sometimes disturbing mishmash of overused tropes. (map) (Fantasy. 14-18)Pub Date: Nov. 7, 2023
ISBN: 9798987380406
Page Count: 538
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Sept. 9, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2023
A descriptive and atmospheric paranormal social thriller that could be a bit tighter.
After a Nigerian British girl goes off to an exclusive boarding school that seems to prey on less-privileged students, she discovers there might be some truth behind an urban legend.
Ife Adebola joins the Urban Achievers scholarship program at pricey, high-pressure Nithercott School, arriving shortly after a student called Leon mysteriously disappeared. Gossip says he’s a victim of the glowing-eyed Changing Man who targets the lonely, leaving them changed. Ife doesn’t believe in the myth, but amid the stresses of Nithercott’s competitive, privileged, majority-white environment, where she is constantly reminded of her state school background, she does miss her friends and family. When Malika, a fellow Black scholarship student, disappears and then returns, acting strangely devoid of personality, Ife worries the Changing Man is real—and that she’s next. Ife joins forces with classmate Bijal and Benny, Leon’s younger brother, to uncover the truth about who the Changing Man is and what he wants. Culminating in a detailed, gory, and extended climactic battle, this verbose thriller tempts readers with a nefarious mystery involving racial and class-based violence but never quite lives up to its potential and peters out thematically by its explosive finale. However, this debut offers highly visually evocative and eerie descriptions of characters and events and will appeal to fans of creature horror, social commentary, and dark academia.
A descriptive and atmospheric paranormal social thriller that could be a bit tighter. (Thriller. 14-18)Pub Date: Sept. 26, 2023
ISBN: 9781250868138
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Review Posted Online: June 8, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2023
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