Timely and timeless.
Fifteen short stories refashion tales both familiar and obscure.
In this multigenre anthology, which opens with a nod to the mutability of fairy-tale narratives, the act of transformation is as central to how each story is constructed as what is being told. Whether by magical means, through physical appearance, or otherwise, the contributors—well-known YA authors including Anna-Marie McLemore, Stacey Lee, Alex London, Malinda Lo, and more—depict the arrival of change and how it is received. In Gita Trelease’s “In the Forests of the Night,” set in colonial India, the Indian and White narrator discovers a chilling secret about a tiger hunter’s trophies. The trans protagonist of H.E. Edgmon’s “Mother’s Mirror” finds self-affirmation and love despite parental rejection. A planet’s vainglorious ruler tries to escape Death in “The Emperor and the Eversong” by Tracy Deonn. Other themes include deception, desire, and vengeance, explored in stories that range in tone from the sinister undercurrent of Melissa Albert’s original fairy tale, “The Sister Switch,” to the cheerful recounting of clever trickery in Darcie Little Badger’s “Coyote in High-Top Sneakers.” Diversity in ethnicity, gender, and sexuality is represented in the cast, which includes a teen hacker with a carefully guarded name, a hijabi known only as Red, and genderfluid merfolk. The stories draw upon perennially intriguing themes, presenting tales in genres from fantasy and historical fiction to horror in a collection sure to please a broad range of readers.
Timely and timeless. (about the original authors) (Anthology. 13-18)Pub Date: Nov. 22, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-250-80602-4
Page Count: 464
Publisher: Flatiron Books
Review Posted Online: Aug. 30, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2022
Ideal for readers seeking perspectives on war, with a heavy dash of romance and touch of fantasy.
A war between gods plays havoc with mortals and their everyday lives.
In a time of typewriters and steam engines, Iris Winnow awaits word from her older brother, who has enlisted on the side of Enva the Skyward goddess. Alcohol abuse led to her mother’s losing her job, and Iris has dropped out of school and found work utilizing her writing skills at the Oath Gazette. Hiding the stress of her home issues behind a brave face, Iris competes for valuable assignments that may one day earn her the coveted columnist position. Her rival for the job is handsome and wealthy Roman Kitt, whose prose entrances her so much she avoids reading his articles. At home, she writes cathartic letters to her brother, never posting them but instead placing them in her wardrobe, where they vanish overnight. One day Iris receives a reply, which, along with other events, pushes her to make dramatic life decisions. Magic plays a quiet role in this story, and readers may for a time forget there is anything supernatural going on. This is more of a wartime tale of broken families, inspired youths, and higher powers using people as pawns. It flirts with clichéd tropes but also takes some startling turns. Main characters are assumed White; same-sex marriages and gender equality at the warfront appear to be the norm in this world.
Ideal for readers seeking perspectives on war, with a heavy dash of romance and touch of fantasy. (Fantasy. 14-18)Pub Date: April 4, 2023
ISBN: 978-1-250-85743-9
Page Count: 368
Publisher: Wednesday Books
Review Posted Online: Jan. 11, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 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
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