A world-expanding improvement on its predecessor.
In the sequel to Forged in Fire and Stars (2020), Loresmith Ara continues to seek out the gods so she can access the Loresmith Forge.
Betrayed by Prince Eamon, Ara and her companions push onward. The hunt for the gods’ sacred sites takes them across new landscapes—from tropical jungle to farmland to treacherous fens—and illustrates the urgency of stopping the Vokkans from devouring the world. Meanwhile, Liran and Eamon offer their views of ArchWizard Zenar through stories of treason, regrets, and atrocities. The at-times overwritten and purple prose, combined with a lengthy scavenger-hunt storyline, promises a long-haul series. In between bursts of action as the characters face their trials, the quest serves as a backdrop for psychological storylines. Some threads, like those of characters who are grappling with the complicated feelings of being betrayed by a loved one, are more successful than others, such as the interruption of Ara’s increasingly steamy romance. Romance is a heavy focus, and there is a secondary romance between two women. Despite the emphasis on weapons, finding alternatives to violence when possible is a refreshing theme. Racial diversity is linked to fantasy-world geographical areas and doesn’t seem to have real-world analogs; characters have a range of skin tones from light to dark.
A world-expanding improvement on its predecessor. (map) (Fantasy. 14-18)Pub Date: July 20, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-399-16423-1
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Philomel
Review Posted Online: May 16, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2021
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
A thoughtful and thrilling story of life, death, and meaning.
Two teens train to be society-sanctioned killers in an otherwise immortal world.
On post-mortal Earth, humans live long (if not particularly passionate) lives without fear of disease, aging, or accidents. Operating independently of the governing AI (called the Thunderhead since it evolved from the cloud), scythes rely on 10 commandments, quotas, and their own moral codes to glean the population. After challenging Hon. Scythe Faraday, 16-year-olds Rowan Damisch and Citra Terranova reluctantly become his apprentices. Subjected to killcraft training, exposed to numerous executions, and discouraged from becoming allies or lovers, the two find themselves engaged in a fatal competition but equally determined to fight corruption and cruelty. The vivid and often violent action unfolds slowly, anchored in complex worldbuilding and propelled by political machinations and existential musings. Scythes’ journal entries accompany Rowan’s and Citra’s dual and dueling narratives, revealing both personal struggles and societal problems. The futuristic post–2042 MidMerican world is both dystopia and utopia, free of fear, unexpected death, and blatant racism—multiracial main characters discuss their diverse ethnic percentages rather than purity—but also lacking creativity, emotion, and purpose. Elegant and elegiac, brooding but imbued with gallows humor, Shusterman’s dark tale thrusts realistic, likable teens into a surreal situation and raises deep philosophic questions.
A thoughtful and thrilling story of life, death, and meaning. (Science fiction. 14 & up)Pub Date: Nov. 29, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-4424-7242-6
Page Count: 448
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: July 25, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2016
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