Smart, impressively crafted, refreshingly cool—and sheer fun.
Friendships don’t require magical abilities, but for Celeste and her close-knit crew of superpowered Celestial Children, they don’t hurt.
The night Celeste was born, a comet skimmed the atmosphere above Perth, Australia, imbuing all the newborns who were brought outside by their parents to gaze at the sky with powers that would later manifest. When the stars are out, Celeste, who presents Black, becomes “super-strong and fast,” and she eventually finds best friends with their own powers. This hyper-stylized work’s premise and illustration style have overt magical girl manga influences, but it becomes something wholly distinct as it takes on art, politics, and capitalism with gusto. Each chapter features pieces of an elaborate plot to displace the citizenry of Perth via arson, mind-controlling mushrooms, and other nefarious tactics devised by a cabal of demonic colonialist stooges. Along with Celeste, the mildly boy-crazy Lucy (who can jump through shadows); Lorelai, Celeste’s ex-girlfriend (who can conjure alien tech); and newcomer Alex (who can bring his art to life) are sometimes unknowingly enmeshed in these plots. Celeste is the timely, unabashedly political leader of their ragtag resistance. Even Whyte’s art feels radical in its melding of action manga and Western punk rock aesthetics as the story thoughtfully reconciles Australia’s long history of plunder, conquest, and exploitation. Social critiques and explosive combat abound, but sweetness underlies it all as our racially diverse heroes get hard-fought—but nonetheless messy—happy endings.
Smart, impressively crafted, refreshingly cool—and sheer fun. (Graphic adventure. 14-18)Pub Date: Feb. 10, 2026
ISBN: 9781603095808
Page Count: 280
Publisher: Top Shelf Productions
Review Posted Online: Jan. 19, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2026
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
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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