A rousing adventure with a touch of fantasy and mystery and a lot of heart.
In this YA novel, a teenager uncovers a secret and must confront the evil lurking in the shadows to secure her family’s legacy.
Emmaline O’Byrne is only 14 years old and officially an orphan. Her grandmother Erin is taking her in, but that means moving away from the home she shared with her mother. In her new town, Destiny Bay, Emmaline meets David and Ciara Rickman. The two siblings mention Alastair O’Byrne, an older, mysterious resident. Desperate to locate more relatives after the death of her mother, Emmaline seeks him out. She discovers that he’s her great-uncle, who has information about her family history that will change her life. After finding Alastair’s huge, secret, underground library, she learns that her great-uncle is a Peer of Paladin, charged with filling the place with volumes that have influenced humans and time. “Endless tales occupy these books,” Alastair asserts. “That is why it’s called the Library of Hereafter. Past, present, and future all come together here.” The library also has the power to send Paladins into the books they protect. Unfortunately, Alastair is the last Paladin. At least, he was—now, he can train Emmaline to care for the library after he’s gone. But a dark threat looms: There has been a series of murders in town. Each body was found with strange symbols next to it. Apparently, someone wishes to take over the library and the power and knowledge it contains. Can Emmaline figure out a way to stop this villain? In this engaging series opener, Lyons skillfully introduces readers to the library and its origins, providing plenty of rich, evocative details. The author also creates an intriguing teen hero who loves books. But while Emmaline’s drive to discover as much about her family as possible after losing her mother is understandable, it can feel as if she jumps right into a mission without giving herself enough time to grieve. Instead, the teen seems intent on just trying to replace her mother. Still, the mystery and excitement surrounding the wondrous library and its enigmatic enemies will keep the audience energized. Readers will be eager to find out who can be trusted and who wants to steal the library’s power for themselves.
A rousing adventure with a touch of fantasy and mystery and a lot of heart.Pub Date: Oct. 7, 2025
ISBN: 9781665780957
Page Count: 390
Publisher: Archway Publishing
Review Posted Online: Oct. 7, 2025
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
A descriptive and atmospheric paranormal social thriller that could be a bit tighter.
After a Nigerian British girl goes off to an exclusive boarding school that seems to prey on less-privileged students, she discovers there might be some truth behind an urban legend.
Ife Adebola joins the Urban Achievers scholarship program at pricey, high-pressure Nithercott School, arriving shortly after a student called Leon mysteriously disappeared. Gossip says he’s a victim of the glowing-eyed Changing Man who targets the lonely, leaving them changed. Ife doesn’t believe in the myth, but amid the stresses of Nithercott’s competitive, privileged, majority-white environment, where she is constantly reminded of her state school background, she does miss her friends and family. When Malika, a fellow Black scholarship student, disappears and then returns, acting strangely devoid of personality, Ife worries the Changing Man is real—and that she’s next. Ife joins forces with classmate Bijal and Benny, Leon’s younger brother, to uncover the truth about who the Changing Man is and what he wants. Culminating in a detailed, gory, and extended climactic battle, this verbose thriller tempts readers with a nefarious mystery involving racial and class-based violence but never quite lives up to its potential and peters out thematically by its explosive finale. However, this debut offers highly visually evocative and eerie descriptions of characters and events and will appeal to fans of creature horror, social commentary, and dark academia.
A descriptive and atmospheric paranormal social thriller that could be a bit tighter. (Thriller. 14-18)Pub Date: Sept. 26, 2023
ISBN: 9781250868138
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Review Posted Online: June 8, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2023
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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