Sexy, thrilling, and utterly unputdownable.
The mortal world’s fate hinges on one magical, snarky, introverted teen girl.
Eighteen-year-old Mona Arnett hasn’t left her room in 10 years, preferring its familiarity and the comfort of whiskey due to her debilitating guilt in the wake of the death of her beloved older brother. But Irinorr, the crow god of love, selects Mona, bestowing upon her the power to divine a person’s soul mate and the ability to travel to the Flood, or realm of the gods. When handsome Delmar Whitman, the master of practitioners of magic for King Isaac, calls upon Mona to discern the ailing king’s true love so he can maintain the royal line of succession, she finally leaves home. When Mona divines Isaac’s soul mate, she discovers a shocking answer that she tries to hide from Whitman and new friend and fellow seer Bernadette. The deeper into the palace’s intrigue and politics Mona delves, the more she finds that deceit runs rampant: Not only the future of the monarchy but the fate of the entire mortal world hang in a precarious balance. Debut author Helander’s series opener is finely wrought and intricate in its worldbuilding, populated with characters who are sure to inspire an eager fan base and filled with smoldering enemies-to-lovers scenes replete with swoonworthy banter. Fans of Rebecca Yarros and Sarah J. Maas need look no further for their next big read. Mona and Whitman are cued white, and Bernadette reads Black.
Sexy, thrilling, and utterly unputdownable. (dramatis personae) (Fantasy romance. 14-adult)Pub Date: Oct. 8, 2024
ISBN: 9781368096171
Page Count: 352
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Review Posted Online: July 19, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2024
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
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
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