A fun and eclectic combination of genres anchored by a touching gay teen romance.
Corbin presents an enemies-to-lovers teen romance wrapped in elements of SF and fantasy.
Asher Snow is a 17-year-old from the village of Barbshire. One day, he goes to Thicketwood to find a witch who sold him a defective luck charm and finds her trapped under a tree. In exchange for freeing her, she promises one wish, but she can’t secure his desire for peace by halting the impending war with Bishop Falls, the kingdom’s largest city. Asher learns of a political marriage arranged between Prince Hunter Bracken of Barbshire and Gertrude Wicker, the daughter of Bishop Falls’ governor, despite rumors of her city plotting against Barbshire. So, Asher wishes for the prince to fall in love with him. The witch says it will take time and gives him an amulet that bestows confidence, warning him not to overuse it. The witch meets with Prince Hunter, telling him that the royal family’s “Apex Blade” is in the Blue Mountains, and that Asher will guide him to it. Hunter finds Asher and they begin their journey, but they pause after sighting an army readying to attack Barbshire. They eventually reach the mountain, where a hologram named Dr. Cornelius Prim, who agrees to give Hunter the Apex Sword in exchange for Asher taking on the hologram’s knowledge of ancient technologies. The story builds to an explosive climax as Asher and Hunter attempt to turn the tides of the war together. Corbin excels in creating characters with humor and complexity, seamlessly weaving glimpses of Hunter’s and Asher’s home lives throughout the narrative. The author describes environments in beautiful ways that mirror the two’s evolving relationship: “No branch stood alone; each wove into the next, making it impossible to discern where any limb began or ended. Their unbroken embrace reminded Asher of the prince’s arms around him.” The shift in genre from fantasy to SF is intriguing and sets a strong foundation for further installments.
A fun and eclectic combination of genres anchored by a touching gay teen romance.Pub Date: N/A
ISBN: N/A
Page Count: -
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: Nov. 15, 2024
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
An ode to the children of migrants who have been taken away.
A Mexican American boy takes on heavy responsibilities when his family is torn apart.
Mateo’s life is turned upside down the day U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents show up unsuccessfully seeking his Pa at his New York City bodega. The Garcias live in fear until the day both parents are picked up; his Pa is taken to jail and his Ma to a detention center. The adults around Mateo offer support to him and his 7-year-old sister, Sophie, however, he knows he is now responsible for caring for her and the bodega as well as trying to survive junior year—that is, if he wants to fulfill his dream to enter the drama program at the Tisch School of the Arts and become an actor. Mateo’s relationships with his friends Kimmie and Adam (a potential love interest) also suffer repercussions as he keeps his situation a secret. Kimmie is half Korean (her other half is unspecified) and Adam is Italian American; Mateo feels disconnected from them, less American, and with worries they can’t understand. He talks himself out of choosing a safer course of action, a decision that deepens the story. Mateo’s self-awareness and inner monologue at times make him seem older than 16, and, with significant turmoil in the main plot, some side elements feel underdeveloped. Aleman’s narrative joins the ranks of heart-wrenching stories of migrant families who have been separated.
An ode to the children of migrants who have been taken away. (Fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: May 4, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-7595-5605-8
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: Feb. 22, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2021
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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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