A vivid and sure-footed, if predictable, piece of social commentary.
A privileged teen loses his place in society and must live with the despised have-nots in this first installment of a YA dystopian series.
In the near future, America has been decimated by disease. Those cities that remain exhibit the stark duality of high-tech opulence and poverty-strewn abandonment. Seventeen-year-old Kade Shaw is a Golden, one of the rich elite living in mansions in the hills of what used to be San Francisco. Kade takes his privilege for granted. Yes, he sometimes hands out (currency) points to the impoverished Dregs, but he never questions their lot in life or the unbreachable divide between the classes. And yet Kade is different. Even though Goldens are highly susceptible to illnesses, he has never been sick. Supposedly Kade’s immunity stems from his father’s research. But could there be a more insidious explanation? When Kade is arrested one night, he expects his parents to sort it out. There must have been a misunderstanding. But Kade, accused of being a Dreg imposter, is sentenced to summary execution. While his parents cannot help him, he is rescued by a group of Dregs led by a young woman Kade finds impossibly alluring. How will Kade survive living without privilege? How much of the truth has been hidden from him? Dailey writes in the first-person, present tense and paints a detailed, grim picture of post-apocalyptic society. The prose is accomplished. The dialogue, though peppered with neologisms (“shucky,” “doink”), is naturalistic enough not to jar readers. The supporting characters are well rendered. The story moves along at a good pace, and while the underlying tale isn’t new—John Christopher’s Wild Jack (1974) springs particularly to mind—it is one well worth telling to a new generation of readers. Ultimately, the book’s effectiveness will rest on readers’ appreciation of Kade, a protagonist at once exasperating (his propensity for saying the wrong thing), endearing (his love for his sister, Emmaline, and compassion for others), and cringeworthy (his ingrained objectification of women). This last will be especially hard for the audience to stomach, although it is a trait that the author has Kade take pains to overcome.
A vivid and sure-footed, if predictable, piece of social commentary.Pub Date: July 2, 2020
ISBN: N/A
Page Count: 297
Publisher: Tillable Ground Dreams
Review Posted Online: April 3, 2020
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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