An intriguing, confident first entry in what promises to be a riveting historical series.
The descendant of a murdered Mali king seeks revenge in Brown’s historical graphic novel series opener.
In the year 1300, the king (or Mansa) of the Mali Empire is betrayed by the rival Keita clan; they attack, and only the king’s daughter, the princess Yafa, and her newborn survive the massacre. She escapes the capital city of Niani swearing revenge. Roughly 120 years later, the young assassin Diata, Yafa’s descendant, arrives in Timbuktu seeking a route to Niani to exact vengeance. The Keita clan have maintained control of the empire amidst power shifts amid the ruling castes of Mali society, but their current leader, Foamed, believes that concentrating power within the warrior (Ton-tigi) and noble castes (Horon) impedes society. He has called for a national tournament to determine the next Sankar Zouma, a prestigious military position, and has opened it to men of any caste, including the artisans (Nyamakala) and the enslaved (Jonow). Diata convinces his family to let him compete, despite being only 19 years old. His name translates to “lion,” and, while his powers aren't explained, he possesses the strength, hyper-senses, and reflexes of his namesake. Illustrator Thy uses a manga comic style to render the rich visual world of 15th-century Mali with distinctive character designs and dynamic, bloody fight scenes. Brown orchestrates many moving pieces and creates opportunities for the brash and stoic Diata to grow throughout the series, even inserting humorous beats (“Watch out for the vipers tonight. They can get pretty aggressive around this time of year”) in the brisk, high-stakes plot. The work depicts many cultural and societal norms that are at times hard to keep track of, but breaks in the chapters provide more context, and Brown avoids overloading his dialogue with exposition. With many viable warriors in the mix, the tournament—and the empire’s future—is anyone’s game.
An intriguing, confident first entry in what promises to be a riveting historical series.Pub Date: Dec. 12, 2023
ISBN: 9798988182801
Page Count: 148
Publisher: Black Sands Entertainment
Review Posted Online: Sept. 29, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2023
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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
This fresh reworking of a Greek myth will resonate.
An otherworldly Latinx retelling of the Orpheus and Eurydice myth set in the South Bronx.
Pheus visits his father in the Bronx every summer. The Afro-Dominican teen is known for his mesmerizing bachata music, love of history, and smooth way with the ladies. Eury, a young Puerto Rican woman and Hurricane Maria survivor, is staying with her cousin for the summer because of a recent, unspecified traumatic event. Her family doesn’t know that she’s been plagued since childhood by the demonlike Ato. Pheus and Eury bond over music and quickly fall in love. Attacked at a dance club by Sileno, its salacious and satyrlike owner, Eury falls into a coma and is taken to el Inframundo by Ato. Pheus, despite his atheism, follows the advice of his father and a local bruja to journey to find his love in the Underworld. Rivera skillfully captures the sounds and feels of the Bronx—its unique, diverse culture and the creeping gentrification of its neighborhoods. Through an amalgamation of Greek, Roman, and Taíno mythology and religious beliefs, gaslighting, the colonization of Puerto Rico, Afro-Latinidad identity, and female empowerment are woven into the narrative. While the pacing lags in the middle, secondary characters aren’t fully developed, and the couple’s relationship borders on instalove, the rush of a summertime romance feels realistic. Rivera’s complex world is well realized, and the dialogue rings true. All protagonists are Latinx.
This fresh reworking of a Greek myth will resonate. (Fabulism. 14-adult)Pub Date: Sept. 15, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-5476-0373-2
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Review Posted Online: June 24, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2020
PERSPECTIVES
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