This dark romp filled with gruesome imagery is a gripping adventure.
Saved following the destruction of her home, Flora meets the mysterious Ankou.
Florelle Tanett is handmaiden to Princess Betheara Ilurosa and lives peacefully on their island nation of Kaer-Ise. When Skaardmen raiders destroy Kaer-Ise, Flora is sexually assaulted, barely escapes with her life, and is saved by the young man who is the Ankou, or legendary monster killer. While recuperating and dealing with her trauma by training with him, Flora learns that he has been cursed with immortality. Exhausted after having been a mercenary for 300 years, the Ankou has forgotten his original name and tells her to call him Lazarus. Fighting alongside him and pledging to help break his curse, Flora hopes to find not only the princess, rumored to have escaped, but also the Temple of Fates, which could restore Kaer-Ise. While the magic lacks a detailed system, the story is original and intriguing, as it contrasts unstable witchcraft with elemental magic, inner darkness with belief in various deities, and grotesque monsters with demons and also shows the tumultuous relationship between magic and fledgling scientific discoveries. Discussions of trauma, self-worth, and found family add realistic elements to Flora’s fantastical journey. While the slow-burn romance is predictable, it focuses on character development and Flora and Lazarus’ growing relationship. Main characters read as White; there is diversity in skin tone and sexuality in this fantasy world (Flora is bisexual).
This dark romp filled with gruesome imagery is a gripping adventure. (Fantasy. 14-18)Pub Date: Oct. 19, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-7595-5783-3
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: July 26, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2021
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
A delicious winter romance that shimmers with classic fairy-tale magic.
An 18-year-old’s encounter with the pale, mysterious, golden-eyed Starmaker transforms her from hamlet girl to magical apprentice.
Aurora Finch discovers she possesses the rare ability to channel sunlight—magic essential to the survival of snow-covered Reverie, her mountain village, “with peaks so high the Sun [cannot] rise above them.” Now she faces a harsh choice: Leave everything behind to train at the Starmaker’s enchanted castle or die as the untapped magic destroys her from within. Griffin excels at worldbuilding; the story is filled with elements and characters that feel both whimsical and real, from Tilly, a living snow angel who’s searching for herself, to Constance, an immortal rabbit. As the antagonism between Aurora and the cold, centuries-old Starmaker melts, their love story, which forms the heart of this tale, crackles with tension. Aurora emerges as a compelling hero—stubborn and brave—who refuses to be diminished by the overwhelming responsibilities thrust upon her. The romantic storyline proves both strong and emotionally involving as the author brings fresh twists to familiar elements, exploring the power of stories and how they shape our understanding of the world. White-presenting Aurora faces a devastating truth that creates urgency and heightens the emotional stakes that drive the story to its conclusion. This satisfying, sparkling fantasy will capture hearts with its well-developed setting and captivating love story.
A delicious winter romance that shimmers with classic fairy-tale magic. (author’s note) (Fantasy. 14-18)Pub Date: Feb. 17, 2026
ISBN: 9781728256184
Page Count: 448
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Review Posted Online: Oct. 10, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2025
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