Energetic and original, this alternative history, fantasy, and mystery mashup with its pair of smart, resourceful, flawed...
For years, Boston’s glittering demimonde sheltered Corinne and Ada, along with other hemopaths, a uniquely afflicted and gifted pariah class; now, with Prohibition looming, their fragile refuge is threatened.
Despite vastly different backgrounds and after a rocky start, the girls are close friends and partners in crime, roommates at the Cast Iron, a nightclub where hemopaths entertain regs (nonhemopath patrons) with transformative illusions that manipulate what others see and feel. Arts—literary, musical, visual, theatrical—are their instruments. Hemopath abilities vary in kind and strength; like their friend Saint, the girls are exceptionally talented. A life-threatening aversion to iron leaves hemopaths vulnerable. Corinne, her condition unknown to her Boston Brahmin family, finds her brother’s forthcoming marriage into the family whose asylum abducts hemopaths for horrific experimentation despicable. Ada’s African-immigrant family was torn apart by her father’s unjust imprisonment. Her mother knows Ada’s a hemopath but disapproves of her job. As laws governing hemopaths tighten, police surveillance and arrests at the clubs increase. Amid growing threats, romances blossom—Ada’s with a performer at a rival club, Corrine’s with the enigmatic reg hired to protect the Cast Iron before the mobster owner disappears—but the novel’s heart is friendship. In Soria’s quick-paced third-person narrative, threats gather and mysteries deepen, failing or succeeding, but the girls’ mutual loyalty and trust never waver.
Energetic and original, this alternative history, fantasy, and mystery mashup with its pair of smart, resourceful, flawed but engaging heroines never disappoints . (Historical fantasy. 12-18)Pub Date: Oct. 4, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-4197-2192-2
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Amulet/Abrams
Review Posted Online: Sept. 18, 2016
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
In addition to the supernatural elements, Brosgol interweaves some savvy insights about the illusion of perfection and...
A deliciously creepy page-turning gem from first-time writer and illustrator Brosgol finds brooding teenager Anya trying to escape the past—both her own and the ghost haunting her.
Anya feels out of place at her preppy private school; embarrassed by her Russian heritage, she has worked hard to lose her accent and to look more like everyone else. After a particularly frustrating morning at the bus stop, Anya storms off, only to accidentally fall down a well. Down in the dark hole, she meets Emily, a ghost who claims to be a murder victim trapped down in the dank abyss for 90 years. With Emily’s help, Anya manages to escape, though once free, she learns that Emily has traveled out with her. At first, Emily seems like the perfect friend; however, once her motives become clear, Anya learns that “perfect” may only be an illusion. A moodily atmospheric spectrum of grays washes over the clean, tidy panels, setting a distinct stage before the first words appear. Brosgol’s tight storytelling invokes the chilling feeling of Neil Gaiman’s Coraline (2002), though for a decidedly older set.
In addition to the supernatural elements, Brosgol interweaves some savvy insights about the illusion of perfection and outward appearance. (Graphic supernatural fiction. 12 & up)Pub Date: June 7, 2011
ISBN: 978-1-59643-552-0
Page Count: 224
Publisher: First Second
Review Posted Online: April 18, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2011
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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