An imaginative fantasy that tiptoes around the romance at its center.
A teenager from an alien world makes a connection with Earth as dark forces gather in Kyan’s YA debut.
Seventeen-year-old Ezekiola Astrid is from the planet Circa. With his telepathic abilities, he expects to receive a Blue Belt at the Cypress School’s Ceremony of the Belts. Instead, he receives an Emerald Belt, indicating that his destiny is that of a warrior. He doesn’t know that Circa’s Count of the High Council has detected activity from the villainous Sons of the Night Sky, a group of fallen Emerald warriors. They plan to tap into a powerful jewel called the Fountain of Fire via a magnetic “bonding of twelve planets.” The final world needed for this scheme is Planet Blue, aka Earth. The Count wants a new operative to stand against the Sons. So when Ezekiola uses a revolving door in the school, it transports him directly to Earth. He dramatically lands in Chester High, where 16-year-old Leanne is struck by his intense blue eyes. Before long, though, he suddenly vanishes. Later, she runs into him in a restaurant, but now he seems older and more sinister. Kyan’s fantasy tale is characterized by elaborate, detailed worldbuilding; the adults at the Cypress School, for instance, have their own color-coded system of robes. Ezekiola’s friends Nohlan Eridanus and Atlas Pleione also join him in adventures both sanctioned by the school and not. Romance and mysticism effectively connect Ezekiola to Leanne; at one point, after he writes his name down for her, she places the paper in a locket because, as shopkeeper Madame Camille says, “When you infuse a word with power, it comes alive the way you wish it to be.” YA audiences, however, may wish that there were more of an active love triangle between the main characters and the villainous third figure. As it is, the low-burning love story gives Ezekiola’s adventures more of a middle-grade flavor. A vague but intriguing cliffhanger sets up the next installment.
An imaginative fantasy that tiptoes around the romance at its center.Pub Date: N/A
ISBN: N/A
Page Count: -
Publisher: Manuscript
Review Posted Online: June 29, 2021
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
A lackluster and sometimes disturbing mishmash of overused tropes.
The Plague has left a population divided between Elites and Ordinaries—those who have powers and those who don’t; now, an Ordinary teen fights for her life.
Paedyn Gray witnessed the king kill her father five years ago, and she’s been thieving and sleeping rough ever since, all while faking Psychic abilities. When she inadvertently saves the life of Prince Kai, she becomes embroiled in the Purging Trials, a competition to commemorate the sickness that killed most of the kingdom’s Ordinaries. Kai’s duties as the future Enforcer include eradicating any remaining Ordinaries, and these Trials are his chance to prove that he’s internalized his brutal training. But Kai can’t help but find Pae’s blue eyes, silver hair, and unabashed attitude enchanting. She likewise struggles to resist his stormy gray eyes, dark hair, and rakish behavior, even as they’re pitted against each other in the Trials and by the king himself. Scenes and concepts that are strongly reminiscent of the Hunger Games fall flat: They aren’t bolstered by the original’s heart or worldbuilding logic that would have justified a few extreme story elements. Illogical leaps and inconsistent characterizations abound, with lighthearted romantic interludes juxtaposed against genocide, child abuse, and sadism. These elements, which are not sufficiently addressed, combined with the use of ableist language, cannot be erased by any amount of romantic banter. Main characters are cued white; the supporting cast has some brown-skinned characters.
A lackluster and sometimes disturbing mishmash of overused tropes. (map) (Fantasy. 14-18)Pub Date: Nov. 7, 2023
ISBN: 9798987380406
Page Count: 538
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Sept. 9, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2023
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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