A masterful adventure.
The future of a nation rests on one girl’s shoulders.
After Rue, an African American teen from Texas, discovered that her father was from a magical land near Madagascar called Ghizon, her world has been turned upside down. In a matter of months, she learned about the island’s terrible dark past and how her father’s people were forced into hiding after the Chancellor stole their magic and led the Grays to power. Now, the Grays are divided between loyalists and those rebelling against the Chancellor’s terrible actions. Meanwhile, Jelani, as Rue is known to the Ghizoni, has become a beacon of hope for her people: She and her friends Bri and Jhamal have decided to join the rebellion. As the Chancellor begins his assault on their base, Rue quickly realizes that they are outpowered. Suddenly, her world goes dark, and she wakes up in a cell next to Jhamal with no recollection of what happened. With responsibility weighing heavily on her shoulders, Rue must find a way to restore her confidence and take down the Chancellor once and for all. Elle’s thrilling conclusion to the Wings of Ebony duology delivers a hefty punch. Rue’s feelings of insecurity and fear of failure connect readers to her as she weighs a multitude of consequences at every turn. Bri’s character arc, as one of the Grays, is a wonderful portrait of allyship and the confrontation of privilege. Elle delivers in her sophomore outing.
A masterful adventure. (Fantasy. 14-18)Pub Date: Jan. 11, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-5344-7070-5
Page Count: 416
Publisher: Denene Millner Books/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Oct. 25, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2021
A thoughtful and thrilling story of life, death, and meaning.
Two teens train to be society-sanctioned killers in an otherwise immortal world.
On post-mortal Earth, humans live long (if not particularly passionate) lives without fear of disease, aging, or accidents. Operating independently of the governing AI (called the Thunderhead since it evolved from the cloud), scythes rely on 10 commandments, quotas, and their own moral codes to glean the population. After challenging Hon. Scythe Faraday, 16-year-olds Rowan Damisch and Citra Terranova reluctantly become his apprentices. Subjected to killcraft training, exposed to numerous executions, and discouraged from becoming allies or lovers, the two find themselves engaged in a fatal competition but equally determined to fight corruption and cruelty. The vivid and often violent action unfolds slowly, anchored in complex worldbuilding and propelled by political machinations and existential musings. Scythes’ journal entries accompany Rowan’s and Citra’s dual and dueling narratives, revealing both personal struggles and societal problems. The futuristic post–2042 MidMerican world is both dystopia and utopia, free of fear, unexpected death, and blatant racism—multiracial main characters discuss their diverse ethnic percentages rather than purity—but also lacking creativity, emotion, and purpose. Elegant and elegiac, brooding but imbued with gallows humor, Shusterman’s dark tale thrusts realistic, likable teens into a surreal situation and raises deep philosophic questions.
A thoughtful and thrilling story of life, death, and meaning. (Science fiction. 14 & up)Pub Date: Nov. 29, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-4424-7242-6
Page Count: 448
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: July 25, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2016
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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