The truth behind the conspiracies Amraeya has uncovered have led to life-threatening danger in this sequel to The Theft of Sunlight (2021).
Rae has been abducted, mutilated, and imprisoned on a snatchers’ ship, at risk of being sold along with other stolen young people. Escape is seemingly impossible because of the Darkness, a curse that steals the minds of the captured if they attempt to run away. But, pulled into a botched escape plan, Rae is thrown overboard and rescued by a Fae sorceress who places life debts upon her. Nonetheless, she vows to rescue her companions and bring to justice the Circle of Mages, who protect the enslavers, and the nobles, who enrich themselves by perpetuating the enslavement of Menaiyan children. Reuniting with enigmatic thief Bren and his companions, Rae’s mind and heart are thrown into further disarray. Bren’s secrets and his thieves’ code of justice are juxtaposed against Rae’s values, and her heart breaks over their impossible romance. This latest volume in a series that improves with each entry satisfyingly and realistically portrays a fairy tale that goes beyond happily-ever-after, exploring the will and vigilance needed to achieve justice and equity. In this world, magic creates greater complexities around power rather than simply solving problems. Rae has a clubfoot and grew to self-appreciation and acceptance in the previous volume. Characters have black hair and brown skin; cultural references suggest similarities to South Asian cultures and Muslim-inspired practices.
A fulfilling addition to a fantastical series. (Fantasy. 13-18)Pub Date: July 21, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-952667-81-7
Page Count: 436
Publisher: Snowy Wings Publishing
Review Posted Online: May 25, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2022
Categories: TEENS & YOUNG ADULT SCIENCE FICTION & FANTASY
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BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Black is building a complex mythology; now is a great time to tune in.
14
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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. 26, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2017
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BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Cracking page-turner with a multiethnic band of misfits with differing sexual orientations who satisfyingly, believably jell...
12
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Adolescent criminals seek the haul of a lifetime in a fantasyland at the beginning of its industrial age.
The dangerous city of Ketterdam is governed by the Merchant Council, but in reality, large sectors of the city are given over to gangs who run the gambling dens and brothels. The underworld's rising star is 17-year-old Kaz Brekker, known as Dirtyhands for his brutal amorality. Kaz walks with chronic pain from an old injury, but that doesn't stop him from utterly destroying any rivals. When a councilman offers him an unimaginable reward to rescue a kidnapped foreign chemist—30 million kruge!—Kaz knows just the team he needs to assemble. There's Inej, an itinerant acrobat captured by slavers and sold to a brothel, now a spy for Kaz; the Grisha Nina, with the magical ability to calm and heal; Matthias the zealot, hunter of Grishas and caught in a hopeless spiral of love and vengeance with Nina; Wylan, the privileged boy with an engineer's skills; and Jesper, a sharpshooter who keeps flirting with Wylan. Bardugo broadens the universe she created in the Grisha Trilogy, sending her protagonists around countries that resemble post-Renaissance northern Europe, where technology develops in concert with the magic that's both coveted and despised. It’s a highly successful venture, leaving enough open questions to cause readers to eagerly await Volume 2.
Cracking page-turner with a multiethnic band of misfits with differing sexual orientations who satisfyingly, believably jell into a family . (Fantasy. 14 & up)Pub Date: Sept. 29, 2015
ISBN: 978-1-62779-212-7
Page Count: 480
Publisher: Henry Holt
Review Posted Online: June 29, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2015
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