A tumultuous and romantic adventure.
A demonio grasping for humanity and a human boy with a family curse embark on a hunt for a treasure that will set them free.
According to the terms of their bargain with el Diablo, Dami should be human, but their revelry comes to an end when food they should be able to taste turns to ashes in their mouth. El Diablo didn’t tell Dami that if they failed to close all their open deals with mortals within a year, they’d revert to being a demonio forever. Silas Cain, who’s cued white, carries the burden of a generational curse that would have killed him if he hadn’t made a deal with Dami, but now he’s stuck in a torturous loop of life and death. When Dami offers to set him free from their soul-binding contract, Silas strikes a new bargain that Dami has no choice but to accept—Silas will end their contract, but only if Dami helps him break the curse and save his younger sister from inheriting tragedy. This book, set in the world of The Wicked Bargain (2023), follows Dami to the New England coast through well-paced shifts in point of view and revealing flashbacks. High stakes and an enemies-to-lovers romance combine to create a satisfyingly suspenseful story. Dami and Silas share the narration with Marisol, a clever and endearing transgender girl whose adventure intertwines with theirs. Dami and Marisol are Mexican, and some of their conversations include Spanish.
A tumultuous and romantic adventure. (Fantasy. 14-18)Pub Date: Feb. 20, 2024
ISBN: 9780593378052
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: Nov. 4, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 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
There’s not much plot here, but readers will relish the opportunity to climb inside Autumn’s head.
The finely drawn characters capture readers’ attention in this debut.
Autumn and Phineas, nicknamed Finny, were born a week apart; their mothers are still best friends. Growing up, Autumn and Finny were like peas in a pod despite their differences: Autumn is “quirky and odd,” while Finny is “sweet and shy and everyone like[s] him.” But in eighth grade, Autumn and Finny stop being friends due to an unexpected kiss. They drift apart and find new friends, but their friendship keeps asserting itself at parties, shared holiday gatherings and random encounters. In the summer after graduation, Autumn and Finny reconnect and are finally ready to be more than friends. But on August 8, everything changes, and Autumn has to rely on all her strength to move on. Autumn’s coming-of-age is sensitively chronicled, with a wide range of experiences and events shaping her character. Even secondary characters are well-rounded, with their own histories and motivations.
There’s not much plot here, but readers will relish the opportunity to climb inside Autumn’s head. (Fiction. 14 & up)Pub Date: April 1, 2013
ISBN: 978-1-4022-7782-5
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Review Posted Online: Feb. 12, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2013
BOOK REVIEW
SEEN & HEARD
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