An action-filled tale of love, magic, and demons.
The teens at the heart of Song of Silver, Flame Like Night (2023) continue to battle a colonizing army.
Lan knows that using the Silver Dragon’s Demon God power will lead to its taking over her mind and body. Rather than wield this power against the imperialistic Elantians, she is searching for the Godslayer (believed by some to be mythical) to destroy the Four Demon Gods and their dark influence. As the Black Tortoise threatens his sanity, Zen searches his ravaged Mansorian homeland for a legendary army to destroy both the Elantians and his Demon God. As Lan and Zen fight to free the Last Kingdom, their paths once more become intertwined. The ongoing effects of harsh colonization on the diverse clans are carefully depicted throughout—for example, in Zen’s almost-forgotten ability to read his own language. Similarly, the devastation caused by wars, even just ones, is clearly discussed, alongside the impacts of sacrifices, grief, and “choices in a conquered land.” While the exploration of power and its uses may feel familiar, it mirrors the need for balance that is reflected in the qì-based magic system and the Demon Gods’ mythology. Following an epic if rushed finale, the loose ends are tied up satisfactorily. The romance is believable and helps balance the larger political themes. In this kingdom inspired by ancient China, the Elantians are fantasy-world equivalents of white Europeans.
An action-filled tale of love, magic, and demons. (map, chronology) (Fantasy. 14-18)Pub Date: Jan. 2, 2024
ISBN: 9780593487549
Page Count: 368
Publisher: Delacorte
Review Posted Online: Oct. 21, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2023
BOOK REVIEW
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
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
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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