A promising foundation of what could be a solid fantasy series, despite uneven execution.
This first installment in JCK’s Scythe YA fantasy saga follows two orphaned boys as they train to become warriors and discover life-changing secrets about their murky past.
Soekka and Sprenger are teenagers growing up in the village of Durado, one of the great “scythe” villages of Cascadia. They’re training to become scythes—“the apex of fighters in all the world”—and are at the top of their class, due in large part to instruction and mentorship from village leaders, who are covertly preparing the boys for roles in a mysterious future plot that involves the sustainability of the village. As their training progresses, the pair find out troubling information about their parents’ deaths in a recent war. Both boys, it seems, have connections to elite scythes who were paired with massive, mythical beasts—animal companions that were outlawed at the end of the war and thought to be all dead. Throughout, JCK strikes a tone that will appeal to YA readers, exploring themes that will be relatable to its intended audience—such as the power of family and friendship, finding one’s place in the world, and relying on others. The novel features a number of violent scenes, but they never feel gratuitous. Its greatest strength is its creative fantasy worldbuilding: Durado, for example, is a place that’s hidden among a forest of monstrous trees where the populace travels via a network of branches. The dynamic between the warriors and the mythical beasts, although it draws on a common fantasy trope, is well done and filled with potential. The narrative does, however, suffer from some noticeable flaws. Its latter half is action-packed and powered by a sense of immediacy. However, its first half is sluggish and has an overabundance of extended—and ultimately boring—sparring sessions and sequences of students practicing specific fighting forms. Also, a subplot involving a sick king and a bratty prince feels like an afterthought and is largely unexplored.
A promising foundation of what could be a solid fantasy series, despite uneven execution.Pub Date: May 10, 2017
ISBN: 9780692286128
Page Count: 452
Publisher: Self
Review Posted Online: May 17, 2023
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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
Immersive and engaging, despite some flaws, and destined to capture imaginations.
Magic, mystery, and love intertwine and invite in this newest take on the “enchanted circus” trope.
Sisters raised by their abusive father, a governor of a colonial backwater in a world vaguely reminiscent of the late 18th century, Scarlett and Donatella each long for something more. Scarlett, olive-skinned, dark of hair and attitude, longs for Caraval, the fabled, magical circus helmed by the possibly evil Master Legend Santos, while blonde, sunny Tella finds comfort in drink and the embraces of various men. A slightly awkward start, with inconsistencies of attitude and setting, rapidly smooths out when they, along with handsome “golden-brown” sailor Julian, flee to Caraval on the eve of Scarlett’s arranged marriage. Tella disappears, and Scarlett must navigate a nighttime world of magic to find her. Caraval delights the senses: beautiful and scary, described in luscious prose, this is a show readers will wish they could enter. Dresses can be purchased for secrets or days of life; clocks can become doors; bridges move: this is an inventive and original circus, laced with an edge of horror. A double love story, one sensual romance and the other sisterly loyalty, anchors the plot, but the real star here is Caraval and its secrets.
Immersive and engaging, despite some flaws, and destined to capture imaginations. (Fantasy. 14 & up)Pub Date: Jan. 31, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-250-09525-1
Page Count: 416
Publisher: Flatiron Books
Review Posted Online: Sept. 18, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2016
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