A well-conceived but unremarkable sci-fi story that may leave readers yearning for deeper emotional connections.
In this third installment of Hurst’s YA sci-fi series, Lily and her team are brought face to face with a galaxy-wide conspiracy.
Series protagonist Lily Starling has just returned from her honeymoon with her wife, Xynn, when she’s sent on a mission to the planet Bimini to destroy a life-essence machine capable of transferring people’s consciousness and completely preserving their past selves. Unfortunately, those who use it often return with a frighteningly altered state of mind. Before Lily can complete her mission, the machine is seized by the Union. Shortly after, she learns of a plague, known as VEN-2E, that’s sweeping across parts of the galaxy. Lily is reassigned to perform vaccine distribution. While working in this role, she begins to notice inconsistencies in the vaccine supply and encounters numerous citizens who are hesitant to trust the medication. Her investigation into the shortage unexpectedly brings her face to face with ruthless government agencies and an intricate, insidious conspiracy that reaches further than she could have imagined. Ultimately, Lily and her cohorts are forced to reckon with life-changing questions about life, death, identity, and who’s reaching for the power to control them. Hurst has crafted a richly detailed sci-fi world, with extensive descriptions and atmospheric prose. The plot is intricate and compelling, although the pieces are sometimes difficult to connect. The intricate technical explanations and exposition often interrupt pacing and can become too convoluted for smooth reading. While the novel is clearly character-driven, the author often fails to show relationships between characters in ways that would demonstrate actual connection. Aside from the intimate closed-door scenes, the work reads more like an adult sci-fi novel, especially with its slower pacing and philosophical focus. Readers who enjoy sci-fi novels centered on political intrigue and corrupt political systems will likely find this one appealing.
A well-conceived but unremarkable sci-fi story that may leave readers yearning for deeper emotional connections.Pub Date: April 30, 2026
ISBN: 9798993932705
Page Count: 388
Publisher: Outpost Books
Review Posted Online: June 8, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: today
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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