Cohesive and engaging.
Adventures continue in this follow-up to Star Wars: Queen’s Peril (2020).
With the tumultuous tides of war sweeping the galaxy, Senator Amidala and her former look-alike handmaidens grapple with their changing relationships as they embark on their own missions of politics, espionage, and self-discovery. After the Battle of Geonosis, Padmé Amidala returns to Naboo for healing and for her wedding. She has dedicated her life to serving others, but now she wants something entirely for herself—as well, of course, as Jedi Padawan Anakin Skywalker, the man she loves. However, the secret of their relationship weighs on her heart, and she struggles with how much to share with the handmaidens who once knew every facet of her life. Meanwhile, duty returns Sabé to being Padmé’s double, though she discovers the role may not fit her anymore. Back in the Chommell sector, Saché adjusts to the responsibilities of her own political career. Johnston delicately twists together multiple, disparate perspectives and drama with strong social and political themes, like colonization and community-led justice initiatives. The wider cast reflects a diverse galaxy, including one transgender and one nonbinary/genderfluid character (although their identities are explored through the gaze of cisgender characters, which detracts from the otherwise casual nature of their inclusion). This sequel builds on relationships established in the earlier books and demands familiarity with the events of Star Wars: Episodes I and II. A satisfying resolution models healthy boundary setting in loving relationships.
Cohesive and engaging. (Science fiction. 12-18)Pub Date: April 5, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-368-07593-0
Page Count: 352
Publisher: Disney Lucasfilm
Review Posted Online: Jan. 16, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2022
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
A fast-paced dip into the possibility of a world without human emotions.
A teenage girl refuses a medical procedure to remove her heart and her emotions.
June lives in a future in which a reclusive Scientist has pioneered a procedure to remove hearts, thus eliminating all “sadness, anxiety, and anger.” The downside is that it numbs pleasurable feelings, too. Most people around June have had the procedure done; for young people, in part because doing so helps them become more focused and successful. Before long, June is the only one among her peers who still has her heart. When her parents decide it’s time for her to have the procedure so she can become more focused in school, June hatches a plan to pretend to go through with it. She also investigates a way to restore her beloved sister’s heart, joining forces with Max, a classmate who’s also researching the Scientist because he has started to feel again despite having had his heart removed. The pair’s journey is somewhat rushed and improbable, as is the resolution they achieve. However, the story’s message feels relevant and relatable to teens, and the artwork effectively sets the scene, with bursts of color popping throughout an otherwise black-and-white landscape, reflecting the monochromatic, heartless reality of June’s world. There are no ethnic or cultural markers in the text; June has paper-white skin and dark hair, and Max has dark skin and curly black hair.
A fast-paced dip into the possibility of a world without human emotions. (Graphic speculative fiction. 12-18)Pub Date: June 13, 2023
ISBN: 9780063116214
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Greenwillow Books
Review Posted Online: April 24, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2023
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