A trope-packed queer romance with a satisfyingly happy ending.
A failed mage who’s been dumped by his boyfriend must find a magical cure-all.
In the last six months, 17-year-old Kieran Pelumbra has broken his family curse, moved in with his sister and her girlfriend, and begun dating a handsome apprentice librarian named Ash Bartelle. Everything should be coming up roses—but for some reason, Ash is avoiding him. When Ash asks for some space, Kieran writes some deeply angsty poetry, in the process accidentally afflicting his erstwhile love with a curse. Now, in a manifestation of his feelings, Kieran is literally invisible to Ash. Aghast (and terrified of the Witches’ Council), Kieran and friends travel by aeroship on a quest for a panacea to break Ash’s curse. Once Kieran acquires the cure, Ash will love him again, right? With the help of Sebastian Feng, a gorgeous, bisexual 18-year-old, Kieran races against an evil CEO who’ll happily kill them all if he gets to the panacea first. Gloomy and businesslike, Sebastian is like catnip to Kieran, a talkative boy who wears ruffles and sweater vests. With so much going on—constant attempted murder, lustful efforts at curse alleviation, lots of side quests—it’s impressive that Kieran has time to discover his magical talent. Kieran is cued white, Ash has “warm brown skin” and “tight curls,” and Sebastian is from a fantasy analogue to East Asia.
A trope-packed queer romance with a satisfyingly happy ending. (map) (Fantasy. 14-18)Pub Date: Sept. 23, 2025
ISBN: 9780593814017
Page Count: 416
Publisher: Delacorte
Review Posted Online: June 13, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2025
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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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