A weak trilogy finale: thin, purposeless, anticlimactic.
This sequel to The Godhead Complex (2023) ambles its way to a close amid just deserts and joyful reunions.
In the third volume of this series, which is set some seven decades after the events of the Maze Runner books, the possibility of a remedy for the zombie-making Flare virus sends parties of Immunes toward Alaska. The story unfolds through the perspectives of several point-of-view characters—Isaac, Ximena, Minho, and Alexandra. The descendants of the characters from the original world are joined by sage Old Man Frypan whom fans of the earlier series will already know; he accompanies Isaac, Ximena, and Jackie and gets the chance to try to persuade an underground colony of scientists that it’s time to rejoin the outside world. The cast just seems to be going through the motions here—so bland and juiceless that even the villain, a glib killer with a god complex who periodically enters a mystical state by reciting numbers in the Fibonacci sequence, seems too weak to merit the violent fate she receives. If ever a series showed clear signs of running on empty, this jumble of mini-chapters, darting choppily back and forth between storylines that are, too often, just marking time, fits the bill. Names cue some diversity in the cast.
A weak trilogy finale: thin, purposeless, anticlimactic. (Dystopian. 12-18)Pub Date: Sept. 9, 2025
ISBN: 9798988421535
Page Count: 280
Publisher: Akashic Media Enterprises
Review Posted Online: Aug. 29, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2025
In addition to the supernatural elements, Brosgol interweaves some savvy insights about the illusion of perfection and...
A deliciously creepy page-turning gem from first-time writer and illustrator Brosgol finds brooding teenager Anya trying to escape the past—both her own and the ghost haunting her.
Anya feels out of place at her preppy private school; embarrassed by her Russian heritage, she has worked hard to lose her accent and to look more like everyone else. After a particularly frustrating morning at the bus stop, Anya storms off, only to accidentally fall down a well. Down in the dark hole, she meets Emily, a ghost who claims to be a murder victim trapped down in the dank abyss for 90 years. With Emily’s help, Anya manages to escape, though once free, she learns that Emily has traveled out with her. At first, Emily seems like the perfect friend; however, once her motives become clear, Anya learns that “perfect” may only be an illusion. A moodily atmospheric spectrum of grays washes over the clean, tidy panels, setting a distinct stage before the first words appear. Brosgol’s tight storytelling invokes the chilling feeling of Neil Gaiman’s Coraline (2002), though for a decidedly older set.
In addition to the supernatural elements, Brosgol interweaves some savvy insights about the illusion of perfection and outward appearance. (Graphic supernatural fiction. 12 & up)Pub Date: June 7, 2011
ISBN: 978-1-59643-552-0
Page Count: 224
Publisher: First Second
Review Posted Online: April 18, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2011
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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