An intriguing and magical mystery.
A sorcerer’s teenage apprentice learns just how deadly the power of fortunetelling can be.
Fortunetelling is a rare breed of sorcery, and Chinese American Tabatha Zeng has been learning it from the notorious prophet-sorcerer Julian Solomon, one of the best in the country. An integral part of her training is honing the ability to tell truths from lies. She never believed her mentor whenever he prophesied his own brutal murder—the timeline varied, but it was always going to be “at the hands of the person he loved most in all the world.” But when she sees Julian’s dismembered body with her own eyes, she keeps her promise to find his son Callum, who’s also a fortuneteller, and stay by his side. The unlikely duo team up to investigate Julian’s death, which leads them to wealthy and powerful members of the family, who may have their own motives for killing the Solomon patriarch. But Tabatha isn’t sure if she can exclude Callum from her list of suspects, and the more time she spends with him, the harder it is for her to ascertain his innocence. Fans of Jennifer Lynn Barnes’ The Inheritance Games (2020) will find Tang’s latest to be an ideal read-alike with a fantastical twist. Although the story feels a bit unfinished, the clever voice and fast-paced storytelling will compel readers to finish this in one sitting and will leave them longing for more.
An intriguing and magical mystery. (Fantasy mystery. 14-18)Pub Date: Feb. 6, 2024
ISBN: 9780593524251
Page Count: 256
Publisher: Razorbill/Penguin
Review Posted Online: Nov. 4, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 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
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
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