An intriguing protagonist makes this novel soar.
A teenage girl’s world gets turned upside down when she discovers her mother’s darkest secret in Bolick’s YA SF novel, the first in a series.
Charlie Conners is a 15-year-old living in a rural Georgia town in 1990. She returns home from school one day to witness her sickly mother, Candy, gun down two male intruders. Unbeknownst to Charlie,Candy used to be the leading sharpshooter on the planet Golvern, but on a trip to Earth, she fell in love with Gregory, a woodworker. When she found out she was pregnant with Charlie, Candy fled Golvern and has been in hiding on Earth ever since. Candy informs Charlie that not only does she have the ability to teleport, but she’s also inherited her mother’s power as a Protector. Candy, who is dying from cancer, begins to train Charlie and convinces her daughter to use her newly honed skills to end her life. A despondent Charlie then leaves home, thinking this will protect her father and younger sister, Lorraine, who has the same powers. She hitches a ride with a college student to the Atlanta airport, which proves to be a big mistake when she’s caught in a showdown with a super-fast murderer; this incident gets her noticed by a federal agency investigating unusual events (“Our organization handles the stranger cases”). Bolick wisely makes her lead character Charlie a blank slate, a teen who has spent her life hidden away in a rural small town. Surprise is Charlie’s go-to emotion, whether in response to Candy’s revelations or fantastic technology—but she’s ultimately revealed to be very intelligent as she learns more about herself and those around her, all of whom are shrouded in mystery, even to each other. That’s also what’s frustrating about this brief book: The series opener introduces many characters and settings, but precious little is developed and next to nothing is concluded. To be fair, that’s the nature of any series—the author has to draw in readers and keep them hanging on. Bolick succeeds magnificently at making Charlie’s complex world oh so enticing.
An intriguing protagonist makes this novel soar.Pub Date: Nov. 8, 2021
ISBN: 9781946089281
Page Count: 357
Publisher: Dirt Road Books
Review Posted Online: May 23, 2025
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
© Copyright 2025 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
