An engaging but somewhat derivative imagining of a terrifying future.
A repressive, domed society has evolved due to climate change in this dystopian offering.
Kaia and Lev are kept apart by Lev’s cruel mother, or birth elder, as parents are called in the City, where Citizens must earn their daily joule consumption and are monitored by an implanted device called a pulse point. Though Kaia’s life has long been bleak, events finally coalesce that prompt her desperate escape to the Mountain outside the dome. There she encounters Prims—those labeled primitive—whom she has been told are a threat to the City. Alternating in first-person narration between Kaia and Lev, who is sent to find her, a variety of dystopian tropes are reworked in sometimes interesting ways. The novel effectively juxtaposes the bigoted, genetically obsessed City with the more community-minded Prims but at times is awkward in its idealization of their simple earthiness. Kaia’s gradual lessening prejudice and increasing understanding of her family history leads her and others to a momentous decision that sets things up for a sequel. Characters are cued as White; City dwellers are described as having pale, silvery skin due to the filtered light of the dome; the Prims have weathered, ruddy skin as a result of sun exposure.
An engaging but somewhat derivative imagining of a terrifying future. (Science fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: May 8, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-927855-97-3
Page Count: 208
Publisher: Yellow Dog
Review Posted Online: Aug. 11, 2020
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A delicious winter romance that shimmers with classic fairy-tale magic.
An 18-year-old’s encounter with the pale, mysterious, golden-eyed Starmaker transforms her from hamlet girl to magical apprentice.
Aurora Finch discovers she possesses the rare ability to channel sunlight—magic essential to the survival of snow-covered Reverie, her mountain village, “with peaks so high the Sun [cannot] rise above them.” Now she faces a harsh choice: Leave everything behind to train at the Starmaker’s enchanted castle or die as the untapped magic destroys her from within. Griffin excels at worldbuilding; the story is filled with elements and characters that feel both whimsical and real, from Tilly, a living snow angel who’s searching for herself, to Constance, an immortal rabbit. As the antagonism between Aurora and the cold, centuries-old Starmaker melts, their love story, which forms the heart of this tale, crackles with tension. Aurora emerges as a compelling hero—stubborn and brave—who refuses to be diminished by the overwhelming responsibilities thrust upon her. The romantic storyline proves both strong and emotionally involving as the author brings fresh twists to familiar elements, exploring the power of stories and how they shape our understanding of the world. White-presenting Aurora faces a devastating truth that creates urgency and heightens the emotional stakes that drive the story to its conclusion. This satisfying, sparkling fantasy will capture hearts with its well-developed setting and captivating love story.
A delicious winter romance that shimmers with classic fairy-tale magic. (author’s note) (Fantasy. 14-18)Pub Date: Feb. 17, 2026
ISBN: 9781728256184
Page Count: 448
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Review Posted Online: Oct. 10, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2025
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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