A page-turning adventure set in a vividly imagined world.
A teen with powerful magic embarks on a life-changing trek through a Jamaican jungle.
Eighteen-year-old Victoria works at Exotic Lands Touring Company, guiding wealthy clients on jungle treks. She is a Wildblood: Her blood science abilities allow her to protect herself and the customers, but despite their powers, Wildbloods are treated as inferior in society. Victoria desperately wants her deserved promotion to team leader, a step toward the freedom she lost when the company kidnapped her as a little girl. Her boss agrees but with conditions attached. Victoria must go on her next expedition with Dean, her light-skinned, White-passing Wildblood ex—who is also the White company owner’s adopted son. And she must impress Black American gold miner Laertes Thorn and his companions on a potentially deadly trip to the Gilded Orchard in search of gold. Victoria is immediately smitten with Thorn, and the feeling is seemingly mutual. Still, she has her plate full between fending off the jungle spirits and creatures and dealing with her hostile, competitive ex. Will she be able to survive this journey, much less explore a romance? And will the promotion be worth it? Blackwood’s worldbuilding combines folklore and fantasy with strong pacing, and the suspense will keep readers intrigued from the outset. Victoria is a sympathetic protagonist with a painful past and a persevering spirit.
A page-turning adventure set in a vividly imagined world. (Fantasy. 14-18)Pub Date: Feb. 7, 2023
ISBN: 978-1-250-78713-2
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Wednesday Books
Review Posted Online: Nov. 28, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2022
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A meticulously crafted magical medical mystery with an emotionally substantive romance.
As in earlier entries, this trilogy closer blends genres as it presents a quest to resolve a strange plague alongside a heartfelt romance and an exploration of shifting allegiances.
With Theo Brood’s father dispatched, Theo and Ren Monroe begin the arduous task of turning the Brood estate into something more egalitarian. Meanwhile, medical student Mercy Whitaker has been sent by her mentor, Dr. Horn, to help victims of a plague that’s sweeping nearby farms. Quick thinking and dogged detective skills lead her right to the source—but not to a full explanation of what’s going on. Concurrently, questions arise after someone from Ren’s past goes missing. Nevelyn Tin’Vori’s careful research, part of her ongoing desire to undermine the Brood dynasty, leads her right to the answers everyone seeks, ones that are directly connected to Mercy’s gruesome discovery. Alliances new and old form and break, as a shadowy group called the Makers threatens to bring down not just the Broods but magic itself. The solidity of the central characters, who continue to grow emotionally through their many varied experiences, brings coherence to the series. Though Ren and Theo, who present white, have grown up over the course of the books, the steadily upbeat pacing and judicious worldbuilding remain ideal for teen readers, preventing any stagnation in this series that ends as interestingly as it started.
A meticulously crafted magical medical mystery with an emotionally substantive romance. (map) (Fantasy. 14-18)Pub Date: Feb. 4, 2025
ISBN: 9781665930499
Page Count: 544
Publisher: McElderry
Review Posted Online: Nov. 9, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
With a refreshingly original concept, this substantial fantasy, the first in a duology, is an undeniable page-turner
In Tiny Pretty Things co-author Clayton’s solo debut, beauty comes at a price.
On their joint 16th birthday, Camellia and her five sisters are sent out to restore beauty to Orléans, where everybody is born gray and ugly. They’ve been training for this their whole lives. As Belles, the sisters can use their magic to transform the citizens of Orléans from their original states. For the right price, Belles can grant any desired look. When Camellia secures the coveted spot of Her Majesty’s favorite, it seems as if her dreams have come true. As the most powerful, sought-out Belle, she is in charge of the royal family’s looks. However, the princess is insatiable in her quest for beauty and will do anything to get it—even if it means endangering the Belles and the kingdom—and Camellia may be the only one who can stop her. Not only that, but Camellia finds herself slowly uncovering the secrets of the Belles’ origin, and it’s not as pretty as she was taught. With wonderfully descriptive language, Clayton builds a grand and lavish world, carefully chipping away at the veneer to reveal its dark, sinister interior. In a world where anyone can change their skin color as often as they can change their hair color, race is fluid. Camellia is brown, and her sisters are various shades of brown and pale.
With a refreshingly original concept, this substantial fantasy, the first in a duology, is an undeniable page-turner (. (Fantasy. 14-adult)Pub Date: Feb. 6, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-4847-2849-9
Page Count: 448
Publisher: Freeform/Disney
Review Posted Online: Nov. 12, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2017
SEEN & HEARD
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