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
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
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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