A hoot of an adventure.
When people battle one another, it summons magic, and the power is trapped by the Weavers—but 18-year-old librarian-in-training Charlie prefers to avoid conflict.
Charlie’s teal hair, the result of a fight gone wrong, is a constant reminder of why. But everything changes when she’s reclaimed by her birth father, the King’s Blade, from her humble life as a carpenter’s daughter. She’s whisked off to the royal court, where the sheltered Prince Leopold develops a crush on her. Trouble is, he’s already betrothed to someone else—but he’s too naïve to realize he might start a war if he doesn’t honor the marriage contract. Resourceful Charlie goes to rescue Leopold’s fiancée, physically strong, pink-haired Princess Robin, from a tower, but it turns out that Robin’s witch-queen mother only put her there for tradition’s sake. Robin’s mother gives the three young people a quest: Discover the source of magic. Two talking animal companions—a vulture and a dragon—round out their party. The medievalesque setting feels original while evoking classic genre elements, and readers will appreciate the plentiful humor, crackling dialogue, and budding romance. This series opener leaves open elements in the narrative to be explored in subsequent entries. Presser’s paneling work is inventive, and the characters’ faces and body language are highly expressive, although the visual style is inconsistent. Charlie’s mother has dark brown skin, and her father reads white; her skin tone is medium brown. Robin and Leopold present white.
A hoot of an adventure. (Graphic fantasy. 13-18)Pub Date: March 17, 2026
ISBN: 9781524896423
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Andrews McMeel Publishing
Review Posted Online: Feb. 2, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2026
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 thoughtful and thrilling story of life, death, and meaning.
Two teens train to be society-sanctioned killers in an otherwise immortal world.
On post-mortal Earth, humans live long (if not particularly passionate) lives without fear of disease, aging, or accidents. Operating independently of the governing AI (called the Thunderhead since it evolved from the cloud), scythes rely on 10 commandments, quotas, and their own moral codes to glean the population. After challenging Hon. Scythe Faraday, 16-year-olds Rowan Damisch and Citra Terranova reluctantly become his apprentices. Subjected to killcraft training, exposed to numerous executions, and discouraged from becoming allies or lovers, the two find themselves engaged in a fatal competition but equally determined to fight corruption and cruelty. The vivid and often violent action unfolds slowly, anchored in complex worldbuilding and propelled by political machinations and existential musings. Scythes’ journal entries accompany Rowan’s and Citra’s dual and dueling narratives, revealing both personal struggles and societal problems. The futuristic post–2042 MidMerican world is both dystopia and utopia, free of fear, unexpected death, and blatant racism—multiracial main characters discuss their diverse ethnic percentages rather than purity—but also lacking creativity, emotion, and purpose. Elegant and elegiac, brooding but imbued with gallows humor, Shusterman’s dark tale thrusts realistic, likable teens into a surreal situation and raises deep philosophic questions.
A thoughtful and thrilling story of life, death, and meaning. (Science fiction. 14 & up)Pub Date: Nov. 29, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-4424-7242-6
Page Count: 448
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: July 25, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2016
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