Thrilling.
In a post-apocalyptic future, a teen Mindwalker races against the clock.
Eighteen-year-old Captain Sil Sarrah is an agent for the Syntex corporation, trained from the age of 8 to use the processor grafted into her brain to rescue field agents by commandeering their minds from afar. It is a difficult job, misunderstood by those who don’t appreciate the advanced tech they use—and one that comes with a time limit. When a Walker turns 18, they start to malfunction, dying before the age of 20. Sil starts to experience terrifying glitches just as a mission gone wrong brands her a traitor to the corporation. On the run and desperate to prove her innocence, she approaches Ryder Stone, a member of anti-Syntex activist group the Analog Army, in hopes of finding intel about them that will buy her way back home. But as Sil learns about Ryder, the Analog Army, and their mission, she realizes Syntex may be hiding nefarious actions. Sil’s arc leads her to discover the truth behind the lies she has been told in a story full of twists, turns, and betrayals. This engaging, fast-paced story is set in a believable dystopian world in which most of humanity has been destroyed. The absorbing enemies-to-lovers romance and Sil’s thoughtful wish to find meaning in her short life enrich the story. Characters can change their physical appearances through aesthetic body modifications; unmodified Ryder has bronze skin and brown hair.
Thrilling. (Dystopian. 14-18)Pub Date: Feb. 7, 2023
ISBN: 978-1-5293-9268-5
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton/Hachette UK
Review Posted Online: Oct. 26, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2022
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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