An intriguing if uneven journey of self-discovery.
A science-fiction thriller translated from German about a boy trapped in a virtual world.
The teen wakes up locked in a silent, white, square room, devoid of memories. He can’t smell anything, has no sense of touch, and when he tries to speak, his robotic voice sounds computer-generated. He eventually learns from a man who introduces himself as his father that he is a 15-year-old named Manuel, lives in Hamburg, and is the survivor of a kidnapping attempt during which his mother was killed and he was left for dead, his body damaged beyond repair. Through new technology, his father was able to rescue his brain, and, after a series of operations, Manuel is now able to survive a primarily virtual existence in a simulation of Middle-earth created especially for him due to his love of Tolkien’s books. But the more Manuel interacts with the outside world through the internet (with the help of Alice, his voice-activated virtual assistant), the more he comes to question whether he is being told the truth about what happened and who he really is. Carefully crafted, thought-provoking questions about identity, self, and humanity are interwoven with heavy-handed elements pulled from The Lord of the Rings and Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland to tell a punchy, fast-paced story that doesn’t quite coalesce into a convincing, cohesive whole in its rushed ending. The largely racially ambiguous characters are minimally described.
An intriguing if uneven journey of self-discovery. (Science fiction. 13-18)Pub Date: Feb. 7, 2023
ISBN: 9781338831849
Page Count: 256
Publisher: Chicken House/Scholastic
Review Posted Online: Dec. 13, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2023
A descriptive and atmospheric paranormal social thriller that could be a bit tighter.
After a Nigerian British girl goes off to an exclusive boarding school that seems to prey on less-privileged students, she discovers there might be some truth behind an urban legend.
Ife Adebola joins the Urban Achievers scholarship program at pricey, high-pressure Nithercott School, arriving shortly after a student called Leon mysteriously disappeared. Gossip says he’s a victim of the glowing-eyed Changing Man who targets the lonely, leaving them changed. Ife doesn’t believe in the myth, but amid the stresses of Nithercott’s competitive, privileged, majority-white environment, where she is constantly reminded of her state school background, she does miss her friends and family. When Malika, a fellow Black scholarship student, disappears and then returns, acting strangely devoid of personality, Ife worries the Changing Man is real—and that she’s next. Ife joins forces with classmate Bijal and Benny, Leon’s younger brother, to uncover the truth about who the Changing Man is and what he wants. Culminating in a detailed, gory, and extended climactic battle, this verbose thriller tempts readers with a nefarious mystery involving racial and class-based violence but never quite lives up to its potential and peters out thematically by its explosive finale. However, this debut offers highly visually evocative and eerie descriptions of characters and events and will appeal to fans of creature horror, social commentary, and dark academia.
A descriptive and atmospheric paranormal social thriller that could be a bit tighter. (Thriller. 14-18)Pub Date: Sept. 26, 2023
ISBN: 9781250868138
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Review Posted Online: June 8, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2023
BOOK REVIEW
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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