A grim triumph.
A girl’s arranged marriage turns into a nightmare from which she must escape.
Because of her extraordinary beauty, Valla has been promised in marriage to the mysterious Count Leonid in exchange for supplies for her village. To reach his castle, she must journey through the dreaded Gottyar Wood, rumored to be haunted by magical beings, the yiliksii, or “cursed children of the forest.” She’s accompanied by her brother and his wife, but when a beast attacks them in the forest, clawing Valla’s face and destroying the beauty the Count expects, she falls gravely ill, hovering near death. When she wakes from her fever, she meets with unexpected kindness from Ermo, her betrothed’s brother, that stands in stark contrast to the heartlessness of the Count himself. Both the man and his castle are nothing like she imagined: They’re dark, desolate, and steeped in cruelty. Joined in the castle only by the Count’s sister, Yulnia; sinister physician Kiril, who’s Yulnia’s confidant; a handful of servants; and an unimaginable, foreboding presence, Valla begins to unravel the castle’s mysteries. As she does, something stirs within her, calling her to violence and awakening with every secret she uncovers. Well-crafted and deeply unsettling, this folktale-influenced horror novel will captivate fans of the genre, but it’s not for the faint of heart. Valla’s character is richly developed, her transformation from a helpless sacrifice to something far more formidable unfolding with haunting intensity. Main characters are cued white.
A grim triumph. (Fantasy. 14-adult)Pub Date: June 10, 2025
ISBN: 9780063284845
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Quill Tree Books/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: April 19, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2025
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
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
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
