A fantastical world to get lost in.
A girl carves out her own destiny in this retelling of a classic Korean folktale.
In hopes of satisfying the Sea God and averting devastating floods and storms, villages sacrifice a fair maiden every year. People believe that when the true bride of the Sea God is found, all disasters and sacrifices will forever cease. Sixteen-year-old Mina’s focus is on saving her brother Joon, who breaks protocol to follow his love, this year’s sacrificial bride, out to sea. Joon plans to fight the Sea God’s dragon servant, but Mina stows away on the boat and throws herself into the water instead. After Mina wakes up in the Spirit Realm, she finds a ribbon—the Red String of Fate—wound around her palm and connecting her to a handsome young Sea God who seems caught in an enchantment. Suddenly nobleman Lord Shin and his cohorts appear, severing the ribbon and thereby taking Mina’s soul. Shin argues this is necessary for the safety of the Sea God and peace within the realm. Soulless and now also voiceless, Mina must navigate the politics and warring gods of the Spirit Realm to retrieve her soul and break the Sea God’s enchantment in order to bring peace to both human and spirit worlds. Oh weaves an intricate and engaging tale. At times, the packed plot interrupts the flow of Mina’s quest, but captivated readers will long to be pulled deeper into the story.
A fantastical world to get lost in. (Fantasy. 13-18)Pub Date: Feb. 22, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-250-78086-7
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Review Posted Online: Nov. 29, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2021
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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