A fresh tale of human light and Fae desire, with a quick plot that counteracts its weighty back story.
In Horowitz’s debut YA fantasy novel, human and Fae worlds intersect when a grieving girl unwittingly sends out a beacon to a banished Fae boy.
In this first book of a planned trilogy, 15-year-old Noa Sullivan returns to Harlow Academy following the death of her 17-year-old sister, Isla. Her parents are still reeling, so Noa’s main source of comfort is her 3-year-old sister, Sasha, a “foundling-strange” girl whose hair is as dark as Noa’s is fair. Then Callum Forsythe, 18, arrives at Harlow, causing an “eerie prickle” to run down Noa’s spine. Romantic sparks ignite between them, but he pulls back from her. At Isla’s ghostly urging, Noa demands an explanation from him; he reveals that he’s Fae and banished to the mortal world. He says that his Fae light, or life force, can’t last long among humans unless he feeds on theirs. He’s drawn to Noa and her light, but fears draining her, as doing so would keep her from having future joy. Using the portal between the Fae and human worlds, Callum’s bad-boy younger brother, Judah, arrives to help—or so he says. Their power-hungry father, Darius, also sends a Fae hunter to retrieve a ring capable of generating Fae light in the mortal world, for which he has other plans. Noa, Callum, and Judah join together to save what’s most precious to all three, setting the stage for the next book. This installment employs extensive exposition to get across its mash-up of fantasy elements, which include a Fae civil war, changelings, and blood magic; Callum’s back story alone spans 22 pages. This is a minor problem, however, and it’s balanced by a fast-moving plot. The modern-day coastal California setting and hip, teenage human and Fae characters keep the story fresh. Anyone who’s ever fantasized about kissing a Fae will enjoy Noa and Callum’s first, sexy kiss: “His lips gave and shaped around her lips, but were also strong, guiding hers where to go.” The prose is often lyrically concise, as when Noa, a secret poet, describes her work as “living secrets shaped in ink.”
A fresh tale of human light and Fae desire, with a quick plot that counteracts its weighty back story.Pub Date: Sept. 15, 2015
ISBN: 978-1-5039-4997-3
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Skyscape
Review Posted Online: Aug. 10, 2016
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
A thrilling romance that could use more even pacing.
For the second time in her life, Leo must choose between her family and true love.
Nineteen-year-old Princess Leonie Kolburg’s royal family is bankrupt. In order to salvage the fortune they accrued before humans fled the frozen Earth 170 years ago, Leonie’s father is forcing her to participate in the Valg Season, an elaborate set of matchmaking events held to facilitate the marriages of rich and royal teens. Leo grudgingly joins in even though she has other ideas: She’s invented a water filtration system that, if patented, could provide a steady income—that is if Leo’s calculating Aunt Freja, the Captain of the ship hosting the festivities, stops blocking her at every turn. Just as Leo is about to give up hope, her long-lost love, Elliot, suddenly appears onboard three years after Leo’s family forced her to break off their engagement. Donne (Brightly Burning, 2018) returns to space, this time examining the fascinatingly twisted world of the rich and famous. Leo and her peers are nuanced, deeply felt, and diverse in terms of sexuality but not race, which may be a function of the realities of wealth and power. The plot is fast paced although somewhat uneven: Most of the action resolves in the last quarter of the book, which makes the resolutions to drawn-out conflicts feel rushed.
A thrilling romance that could use more even pacing. (Science fiction. 16-adult)Pub Date: Feb. 4, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-328-94894-6
Page Count: 400
Publisher: HMH Books
Review Posted Online: Nov. 9, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2019
A very full mixed bag.
In the sequel to Furyborn (2018), Rielle and Eliana struggle across time with their powers and prophesied destinies.
Giving readers only brief recaps, this book throws them right into complicated storylines in this large, lovingly detailed fantasy world filled with multiple countries, two different time periods, and hostile angels. Newly ordained Rielle contends with villainous Corien’s interest in her, the weakening gate that holds the angels at bay, and distrust from those who don’t believe her to be the Sun Queen. A thousand years in the future, Eliana chafes under her unwanted destiny and finds her fear of losing herself to her powers (like the Blood Queen) warring with her need to save those close to her. The rigid alternation between time-separated storylines initially feels overstuffed, undermining tension, but once more characters get point-of-view chapters and parallels start paying off, the pace picks up. The multiethnic cast (human versus angelic is the only divide with weight) includes characters of many sexual orientations, and their romantic storylines include love triangles, casual dalliances, steady couples, and couples willing to invite in a third. While many of the physically intimate scenes are loving, some are rougher, including ones that cross lines of clear consent and introduce a level of violence that many young readers will not be ready for. The ending brings heartbreaking twists to prime readers for the trilogy’s conclusion.
A very full mixed bag. (map, list of elements) (Fantasy. 17-adult)Pub Date: May 21, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-4926-5665-4
Page Count: 608
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Review Posted Online: Feb. 19, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2019
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