A lovely tale for readers in search of magic, adventure, and romance.
A deaf princess must use her magical gift to save her kingdom.
Princess Marguerite is gifted in Skeincraft—literally embroidering magic into fabric and thread. Unfortunately, her uncle leads a crusade against witchcraft, imprisoning and burning the accused. While saving a child from the witch hunt, she meets Tys, a handsome young man who also has a magical gift. Loken’s fantasy world feels European, including the religion, which borrows several ancient Greek deities and puts them into a Roman Catholic–inspired framework. Major characters are presumed White; Marguerite’s parentage on her father’s side is default White, and on her mother’s, Mirvray—an ethnic group that reads like a fantasy corollary of Roma people, including the prejudice they experience. Marguerite was born deaf and given magical hearing aids in the form of silver hair combs that do not work well. She uses speech, listening, and lip reading, but when she is introduced to Mirvray culture, in which deafness is more common, she discovers a signed language that was kept from her. Marguerite’s deafness is naturally woven into her characterization and realistically shown to have an impact on her life. Overall, this is a smooth, enjoyable read with a heroine who is both feminine and strong. The satisfying ending leaves just a few loose threads that will make readers hope for more.
A lovely tale for readers in search of magic, adventure, and romance. (Fantasy. 14-18)Pub Date: Feb. 15, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-7364300-8-8
Page Count: 366
Publisher: Sword and Silk Books
Review Posted Online: Jan. 10, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2022
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
Immersive and engaging, despite some flaws, and destined to capture imaginations.
Magic, mystery, and love intertwine and invite in this newest take on the “enchanted circus” trope.
Sisters raised by their abusive father, a governor of a colonial backwater in a world vaguely reminiscent of the late 18th century, Scarlett and Donatella each long for something more. Scarlett, olive-skinned, dark of hair and attitude, longs for Caraval, the fabled, magical circus helmed by the possibly evil Master Legend Santos, while blonde, sunny Tella finds comfort in drink and the embraces of various men. A slightly awkward start, with inconsistencies of attitude and setting, rapidly smooths out when they, along with handsome “golden-brown” sailor Julian, flee to Caraval on the eve of Scarlett’s arranged marriage. Tella disappears, and Scarlett must navigate a nighttime world of magic to find her. Caraval delights the senses: beautiful and scary, described in luscious prose, this is a show readers will wish they could enter. Dresses can be purchased for secrets or days of life; clocks can become doors; bridges move: this is an inventive and original circus, laced with an edge of horror. A double love story, one sensual romance and the other sisterly loyalty, anchors the plot, but the real star here is Caraval and its secrets.
Immersive and engaging, despite some flaws, and destined to capture imaginations. (Fantasy. 14 & up)Pub Date: Jan. 31, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-250-09525-1
Page Count: 416
Publisher: Flatiron Books
Review Posted Online: Sept. 18, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2016
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