Dark, exciting, and filled with dread.
In this duology opener, darkness is “devouring dreamers’ souls” in the Kingdom of Noctis and one 18-year-old is trying to save them all.
Esmer Havenfall’s family have always been Absolvers—chosen by the Light Bringer to distribute a life-saving elixir and protect their town from dreaming, a state that leaves people vulnerable to demons. But now, more people are being taken. After losing her parents and sister, Esmer is imprisoned for her ability to wield shadows, the force controlled by the Shadow Bringer and the source of Corruption. Esmer makes a pact with the Light Bringer to keep the Shadow Bringer’s mortal body sealed in his tomb; she believes she’s fighting for good. But as she enters the Dream Realm alongside the Shadow Bringer, she begins to question the stories she’s always believed. Through their journey, Esmer realizes that history changes depending on who tells it—and that good and evil may not be so easily defined. What begins as a mission to end Corruption transforms into a deeper quest for truth and identity, and Esmer and the Shadow Bringer realize their bond runs deeper than either of them imagined. Karlie’s debut, which was originally self-published in 2023, is a bloody and terrifying gothic fantasy. The complex worldbuilding and numerous cast members can be hard to track, although both are powerfully developed. The main characters are cued white.
Dark, exciting, and filled with dread. (glossary, locations) (Fantasy. 14-18)Pub Date: Aug. 26, 2025
ISBN: 9780316588157
Page Count: 352
Publisher: Christy Ottaviano Books
Review Posted Online: Oct. 10, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2025
BOOK REVIEW
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
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
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