A solid, well-paced novel that will please devoted fans of dystopian fiction.
In Stever’s YA fantasy novel, a girl with a mysterious background takes on a deadly challenge in order to improve her family’s lives.
Seneca Ellis-Brant has been training her whole life to become a Light Seeker. On an alternate version of Earth in 2022, she and her family live in an area called The Darkness, separated from the technological advancements and easy living found in Light City by a massive wall called the Crow Line. Every week, citizens on both sides watch a new Light Seeker attempt the trials, which will either result in the Seeker’s death, or the Seeker and their family becoming citizens of Light City. This year, just after her 16th birthday, Seneca will get her chance. Her mothers, Mama C and Ma Marie, have trained her on homemade obstacle courses and quizzed her daily on random facts; her neighbor, Jamie “JD” Daniels, has been instructing her in various forms of combat. Seneca is ready, and, hopefully, she’ll be able to bring her family into the Light. But those in power in Light City aren’t as pure-hearted as they demand their citizens to be. Gen. Walter Crow became leader after a violent coup in 1972, and his daughter, President Barbara Crow, is determined to maintain control. This newest Light Seeker, the youngest ever—and with a seemingly miraculous backstory involving an immaculate conception—may threaten Barbara’s tenuous leadership. In this YA dystopian narrative, Stever offers an adventure set in a world that, in some ways, feels surprisingly similar to our own. The author does a lot of worldbuilding as she introduces the characters, setting, and trials, and some lore feels a bit wedged in, as in a description of the Northern Warriors—one of whom Seneca will have to fight: “According to the history books Seneca had studied, the Northern Warriors were brought in following the Battle of Barsicon….” Later, however, the pace picks up, and the story doesn’t get bogged down in exposition. Readers will find plenty of familiar genre elements, but the tale remains different enough to feel fresh.
A solid, well-paced novel that will please devoted fans of dystopian fiction.Pub Date: Oct. 30, 2021
ISBN: 9780228863120
Page Count: 284
Publisher: Tellwell Talent
Review Posted Online: May 14, 2026
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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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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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