An entertaining, if somewhat overly detailed, fantasy for Christian readers.
In Downing’s YA fantasy novel, teens take part in a competition and unearth secrets as creatures and revolutionaries threaten their city.
Eighteen years ago, Matt was left as a baby on a stranger’s doorstep in Kentville. Now, as an adult, he discovers he comes from a magic-using people called the Adamic, who are hunted by fearsome, soul-eating monsters called feeders. Matt must go to Cavernum, one of the few cities left where Adamic can be safe, but he soon learns that magic doesn’t make Cavernum any less corrupt than anywhere else. Roselyn is the princess of the city, and she’s never known any other way of life than the feudalistic system that governs its people. A group calling themselves equalists wants to change how the city is run, and they plan to do so by killing the royal family. Matt and Roselyn, since they are both 18, must compete in the Dividing to determine what guild they will join that matches their skills. As tensions rise during the competition, threats from outside grow stronger: The feeders are attacking more and more people, and stranger monsters, long thought extinct, become a danger to all of the Adamic. This is a Christian fantasy that uses a number of elements from the Bible in its worldbuilding and in its characters’ worldviews. Downing has clearly put an immense amount of time working out the details of his fictional setting, and it shows on every page. But although the worldbuilding is thoroughly believable, the explanations and exposition sometimes linger on too long. The author also has a tendency to simply state information instead of letting it reveal itself in his characters’ actions. That said, Matt and Rose are engaging teens who drive the plot forward effectively, and they interact with the fantastical elements of their world in ways that feel realistic. The mysteries and secrets at the heart of the tale are also appealing.
An entertaining, if somewhat overly detailed, fantasy for Christian readers.Pub Date: May 29, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-73-461072-7
Page Count: 508
Publisher: Devil Down Books
Review Posted Online: Aug. 5, 2021
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
A lackluster and sometimes disturbing mishmash of overused tropes.
The Plague has left a population divided between Elites and Ordinaries—those who have powers and those who don’t; now, an Ordinary teen fights for her life.
Paedyn Gray witnessed the king kill her father five years ago, and she’s been thieving and sleeping rough ever since, all while faking Psychic abilities. When she inadvertently saves the life of Prince Kai, she becomes embroiled in the Purging Trials, a competition to commemorate the sickness that killed most of the kingdom’s Ordinaries. Kai’s duties as the future Enforcer include eradicating any remaining Ordinaries, and these Trials are his chance to prove that he’s internalized his brutal training. But Kai can’t help but find Pae’s blue eyes, silver hair, and unabashed attitude enchanting. She likewise struggles to resist his stormy gray eyes, dark hair, and rakish behavior, even as they’re pitted against each other in the Trials and by the king himself. Scenes and concepts that are strongly reminiscent of the Hunger Games fall flat: They aren’t bolstered by the original’s heart or worldbuilding logic that would have justified a few extreme story elements. Illogical leaps and inconsistent characterizations abound, with lighthearted romantic interludes juxtaposed against genocide, child abuse, and sadism. These elements, which are not sufficiently addressed, combined with the use of ableist language, cannot be erased by any amount of romantic banter. Main characters are cued white; the supporting cast has some brown-skinned characters.
A lackluster and sometimes disturbing mishmash of overused tropes. (map) (Fantasy. 14-18)Pub Date: Nov. 7, 2023
ISBN: 9798987380406
Page Count: 538
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Sept. 9, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 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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