This engaging epic fantasy makes effective use of the tension built up in previous volumes.
In this fourth installment of a YA series, a group of heroes confronts the Wild King.
In Tir na nÓg, the Faery Realm, the Wild King hosts his army in the Dead City. With a mark from his antlers, the monarch can mutate fae beings, turning them savage and loyal. One person in the Dead City not directly affected by the Wild King’s magic is Feya. She uses her healing skills to help fae, like Ivy, who suffer from painful mutations. Elise, meanwhile, is a Seer from the Mortal Realm who’s been recruited by Sirius, leader of the elves, to help end the Wild King’s reign. But the Summer Queen believes that the Wild King is “an elf who had glamoured himself to look like a monstrosity,” despite countless missing fae. Sirius plans to visit the Seelie Court to summon Galahad, the Golden Knight, to battle. Galahad is willing to commit soldiers to the cause only if Sirius can learn the Wild King’s exact location in the Dead City and the size of his army. As Galahad joins Sirius’ expedition, Elise hopes to clarify her feelings for Finch, a female elf. Finch, being pure of heart, wants Sirius to tell Elise “that you love her.” Ridge unleashes chaos on her beloved cast in this Faery Realm fantasy, ensuring that characters who have starred in other adventures, like Lark, Alexis, and Jaxith, make appearances. The battles feature grisly moments, as when a Wild fae, already impaled by one arrow, has a second “explode through its eye.” The author does balance the gore with humor, as when the heroes encounter a Wild fae with a duck’s bill. A solid backstory humanizes the Wild King and layers deeper emotions onto Feya’s arc. During the momentous final third of the narrative, Ridge uses Lark to set up a further adventure that may or may not fold in events from the finale. Though the cast is diverse, readers may need patience as characters shuffle tumultuously between the foreground and background, Game of Thrones–style.
This engaging epic fantasy makes effective use of the tension built up in previous volumes.Pub Date: Jan. 22, 2020
ISBN: 978-0-359-90880-6
Page Count: 308
Publisher: Lulu.com
Review Posted Online: March 13, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2020
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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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