An enticing, spiritual, and action-packed journey through the grief of a teenage girl.
A 16-year-old is transported to another part of the universe by a magic mirror in Szedlak’s YA novel.
Introverted Annie Sky, still grieving the death of her mother four years earlier, is turning 16 on a school trip to New York City, where she rooms with her best friends Eva, Bella, and Pixie. On the first day of the trip, Annie and her classmates visit downtown Manhattan and spend the afternoon in Chinatown, where they spot a coveted, hard-to-find copy of the newest book in their favorite series. The bookstore selling it is closed, but they sneak in while their teachers are distracted and discover a secret room full of treasure. Annie picks up an ornate hand mirror, only to be startled by the shop’s owner and drops it. “A stream of light as bright as a thousand suns flashes from the glass shards, and, in a matter of seconds, all goes dark.” The broken mirror magically transports Annie to the other side of the universe, to a spiral galaxy called the Black Eye, where she meets a mystical being named Phoenix. Phoenix and his friends, Samyaza and Gabriel, are Sons of Watchers, archangels who once rebelled against the saints and were banished to the underworld. Together, they must help Annie find a way to return home before the slower-moving time on Diadem puts her out of synch with Earth-time by embarking on an Odyssey-like gauntlet of riddles, trials, and combat. The narrative is told from a range of perspectives—mainly those of Annie and Phoenix, but also those of Gabriel, Samyaza, and Eva. Eva’s Earth-bound point of view is dropped fairly quickly, which could either be taken as a loose story thread left unresolved or as a reflection of Annie losing her grip on the world she came from. Annie’s character development in relation to her grief over her mother’s death is particularly strong. This story has a little something for everyone: romance, action, spirituality, and intellectual intrigue.
An enticing, spiritual, and action-packed journey through the grief of a teenage girl.Pub Date: Aug. 6, 2023
ISBN: N/A
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Independently Published
Review Posted Online: Oct. 3, 2023
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
A lackluster and sometimes disturbing mishmash of overused tropes.
The Plague has left a population divided between Elites and Ordinaries—those who have powers and those who don’t; now, an Ordinary teen fights for her life.
Paedyn Gray witnessed the king kill her father five years ago, and she’s been thieving and sleeping rough ever since, all while faking Psychic abilities. When she inadvertently saves the life of Prince Kai, she becomes embroiled in the Purging Trials, a competition to commemorate the sickness that killed most of the kingdom’s Ordinaries. Kai’s duties as the future Enforcer include eradicating any remaining Ordinaries, and these Trials are his chance to prove that he’s internalized his brutal training. But Kai can’t help but find Pae’s blue eyes, silver hair, and unabashed attitude enchanting. She likewise struggles to resist his stormy gray eyes, dark hair, and rakish behavior, even as they’re pitted against each other in the Trials and by the king himself. Scenes and concepts that are strongly reminiscent of the Hunger Games fall flat: They aren’t bolstered by the original’s heart or worldbuilding logic that would have justified a few extreme story elements. Illogical leaps and inconsistent characterizations abound, with lighthearted romantic interludes juxtaposed against genocide, child abuse, and sadism. These elements, which are not sufficiently addressed, combined with the use of ableist language, cannot be erased by any amount of romantic banter. Main characters are cued white; the supporting cast has some brown-skinned characters.
A lackluster and sometimes disturbing mishmash of overused tropes. (map) (Fantasy. 14-18)Pub Date: Nov. 7, 2023
ISBN: 9798987380406
Page Count: 538
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Sept. 9, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2023
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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