A thrilling, high-stakes sequel that’s bursting with action, romance, and political intrigue.
This follow-up to A Mastery of Monsters (2025) returns to a ruthless underground world of monsters, magic, and secret societies.
The story alternates between the points of view of returning characters Riley and August, Black women who are seeking to prove themselves in hostile environments. Sophomore Riley Townsend ascends to the rank of president of Queen’s University’s Black Student Society, an organization whose members clandestinely protect humans from monsters. Some believe she isn’t up to the task: She must find an artifact—a powerful weapon that could help in their rivalry with the Learners’ Society. Meanwhile, August Black, who’s entrenched in the factional and hierarchical Learners’ Society, studies and trains to compete in the brutal Monster’s Ball to achieve the rank of Master. Failing would endanger her bond with Virgil, her Monster partner and almost-lover (they’re resisting, knowing “it’s a bad idea to couple up with someone who you’re bound to for life”). If she doesn’t succeed, he’ll be remanded for life to the Kingston Penitentiary with other Monsters who don’t have Masters. An unexpected twist complicates August’s life irrevocably, while bringing her closer to finding answers about her murdered mother. This middle volume is full of spectacle and a careful examination of social issues. Sambury thoroughly renders Riley’s and August’s inner lives; readers will care deeply about each of these refreshingly complex, imperfect, and vividly realized young women.
A thrilling, high-stakes sequel that’s bursting with action, romance, and political intrigue. (author’s note, content warning, map) (Fantasy. 14-18)Pub Date: Aug. 4, 2026
ISBN: 9781665957397
Page Count: 608
Publisher: McElderry
Review Posted Online: May 4, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2026
A fantasy with complex characterization that will build anticipation for the next entry.
Three young people find their places in a world of vengeance and destiny in National Book Award winner Tahir’s duology opener set in the multicultural world of her An Ember in the Ashes series.
Aiz, from the impoverished nation of Kegar, seeks revenge against Tiral bet-Hiwa, an air squadron commander who, as a child, murdered Aiz’s fellow orphans. Guided by a voice claiming to be Mother Div, Kegar’s first queen, Aiz escapes imprisonment after her failed assassination attempt on Tiral and embarks on a journey to free Mother Div’s trapped spirit. In the Martial Empire, Sirsha, a skilled tracker with magical abilities who’s been banished from her homeland, is saved by a stranger who hires her to hunt an unnatural killer. Quil, the crown prince of the Martial Empire, faces an invasion by the Kegari and the lingering threat of a mysterious force responsible for recent murders, including those of two of his loved ones. As the storylines converge, Sirsha and Quil cross paths, leading to revelations about the insidious force. The story explores the blurred line between good and evil and the lengths one will go to for a better life. Tahir’s deep and intricate worldbuilding requires time for readers to fully grasp. Following a slow start, the plot engages as pieces fall into place, leading up to an unexpected ending. The beautiful writing compensates for the romantic relationships, which develop quickly and somewhat inorganically.
A fantasy with complex characterization that will build anticipation for the next entry. (Fantasy. 14-18)Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2024
ISBN: 9780593616949
Page Count: 496
Publisher: Putnam
Review Posted Online: July 19, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2024
SEEN & HEARD
SEEN & HEARD
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
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