An unforgettable romance so Olympian in scope, human at its core, and lyrical in its prose that it must be divinely inspired.
Love’s enduring power faces off against the horrors of war in this sumptuous Greek mythology–inspired romantic page-turner.
In a Manhattan hotel on the eve of World War II, Hephaestus catches his wife, Aphrodite, in a compromising position with his brother Ares. To exonerate herself of the crime of adultery, she weaves an intricate tale of mortal love during wartime that demonstrates the endurance of the human spirit. Vacillating between the present and the past, the goddess’s narrative centers on Aubrey, an African American musician; Colette, a Belgian singer; Hazel, a wide-eyed British pianist; and her paramour, James, an aspiring architect (the latter three are white), who are all brought together by happenstance during the First World War. The resulting interweaving story is an epic of Shakespearean emotional depth and arresting visual imagery that nonetheless demonstrates the racism and sexism of the period. Scheherazade has nothing on Berry (The Emperor’s Ostrich, 2017, etc.), whose acute eye for detail renders the glittering lights of Paris as dreamlike in their beauty as the soul-sucking trenches on the French front are nightmarishly real. The mortal characters are all vibrant, original, and authentic, but none is more captivating than the goddess of love herself, who teaches her husband that love is an art form worthy of respect and admiration.
An unforgettable romance so Olympian in scope, human at its core, and lyrical in its prose that it must be divinely inspired. (Fiction. 13-adult)Pub Date: March 5, 2019
ISBN: 978-0-451-46993-9
Page Count: 512
Publisher: Viking
Review Posted Online: Dec. 8, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2019
Enticing and original.
Abandoned by her sisters, Io Ora must trust Bianca—former mob queen, now dying wraith—to help her find the hidden gods and end them forever in this duology closer that follows Threads That Bind (2023).
Io and Bianca cross mudflats that harbor deadly chimerini and dodge the violent, unpredictable tides that flood the Wastelands, where humans have struggled to survive ever since the Collapse shattered the moon into three pieces. The youngest of the Moirae-born (sisters with Fates-like powers), Io is able to see the threads governing every human fate in the Quilt. She can end a life simply by cutting another’s life-thread, but the cost is high: Each time, she must sever one of her own 35 threads. As Bianca traverses anarchic wastes and dangerous urban slums ruled by powerful gangs on the way to their destination, the teeming city-nation of Nanzy, she weakens but pushes on. Despite setbacks and betrayals, the two discover unexpected allies willing to risk their lives to confront the gods. Io’s personal evolution, like the Moirae’s silver threads, is woven seamlessly into the complicated plot. While her romance with Edei is satisfying, the story’s emotional driver is the sisters’ difficult history of loss, longing, pain, and betrayal; each bears scars from their old, set-in-stone rivalries. Io’s world has an epic thematic scope and an intricately imagined setting. The characters are diverse in appearance, gender identity, and sexual orientation.
Enticing and original. (Fantasy. 14-18)Pub Date: June 18, 2024
ISBN: 9780593528747
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Razorbill/Penguin
Review Posted Online: March 23, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A twisty tale of nightmares, secrets, and curses that readers won’t soon forget.
A teen seeks revenge in a land of dreams and nightmares.
In the town of Hereswith, beneath the cursed Seren Mountains, Clementine and her father, the warden, record the townsfolk’s dreams and confront the walking nightmares that appear every new moon. Clem, the opposite of her cautious father, is a headstrong apprentice eager to explore the limits of her magic. When two young magicians appear before the new moon to challenge her father for wardenship of Hereswith, Clem’s entire world is ripped apart. Seeking revenge, Clem discovers old family secrets and uncovers the truth behind the century-old Seren curse. The worldbuilding is well rounded, incorporating history, politics, and economics as well as an original and detailed magic system that is expertly woven into the plot and mythology. Similarly, discussions of creativity, both in art and in magic, add an extra layer of interest. The themes of recognizing one’s true self, controlling one’s emotions, the importance of family and home, and lies versus truth are well developed within Clem’s overarching quest for vengeance. While the curse originally appears straightforward, its unveiled complexity is pleasantly surprising. A slow-burning romance primarily emphasizes character development. The main characters are White; there is an interracial lesbian couple in the supporting cast.
A twisty tale of nightmares, secrets, and curses that readers won’t soon forget. (map) (Fantasy. 13-18)Pub Date: Nov. 2, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-06-301592-0
Page Count: 496
Publisher: Quill Tree Books/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Sept. 14, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2021
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