A fast-paced debut that reaches spectacularly bloody heights, with an ending that teases a sequel.
A ruthless young noblewoman seeks greatness by rescuing her city from drought.
In the veiled city of Occhia, anyone with an omen—a red mark that appears on the body—must surrender themselves to the ancient watercrea, who takes and transforms their blood into Occhia’s carefully rationed water. Seventeen-year-old Emanuela Ragno is imprisoned in the watercrea’s tower on her wedding day after her omen is revealed at the ceremony, but she escapes and kills the watercrea, unaware that Occhia’s underground well is almost empty. Without the watercrea, the city is doomed. When the hunt for Emanuela commences, she flees into Occhia’s catacombs with Alessandro, her meek and bookish fiance. The two emerge in an unfamiliar city where a mysterious young woman called the Heart provides the citizens with abundant—and bloodless—access to water. Emanuela is intrigued: If she discovers the source of the woman’s magic, she can return to Occhia as its savior. Cunning and ambitious, Emanuela pushes the narrative forward with confidence in her own judgment and ability, paying no heed to Ale’s words of caution. Her eagerness to gain power, paired with a sense of self-righteousness, propels her toward a path of violence and revenge. Flashbacks offer further insight into the characters. Emanuela and Ale express same-sex attraction and have a platonic relationship. Characters are White by default.
A fast-paced debut that reaches spectacularly bloody heights, with an ending that teases a sequel. (Fantasy. 14-18)Pub Date: Oct. 13, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-368-05213-9
Page Count: 288
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: Aug. 11, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2020
BOOK REVIEW
Combines the best parts of the earlier books with confidence and creativity, sustaining strong momentum throughout.
Friendships, romance, and long-awaited answers combine for a triumphant trilogy closer.
A couple of dramatic prologues and some early exposition bring readers up to speed about the mysteries and players of Hemlock Falls. Winnie Wednesday, Erica Thursday, and Jay Friday have formed a clue-gathering trio collectively known as the WTF triangle. The three agree to work together to uncover the truth behind mysteries involving Winnie’s missing father and Erica’s late sister. Winnie’s star has risen in this entry: Characters who teased her during the events of the first book are now cheerfully welcoming toward her, and her romance with werewolf Jay continues to heat up. Her ongoing guilt and trauma over deaths from prior books ground the narrative, while sprinkled-in pop-culture references and a recurring Emily Dickinson motif showcase her nerdy personality. Changes in the format—such as scriptlike dialogue sequences and daily schedules for the Nightmare Masquerade—break up the narration in creative ways. The eventual reveal of a looming threat that’s targeting everyone Winnie knows starts the countdown of a ticking clock within the story. Meanwhile, a slew of fantasy monsters ensure high enough stakes, suspense, and action to bring the story to a heart-racing and satisfying conclusion. Winnie and Jay present white, and Erica is cued Latine.
Combines the best parts of the earlier books with confidence and creativity, sustaining strong momentum throughout. (Fantasy. 14-18)Pub Date: Nov. 19, 2024
ISBN: 9781250339485
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Tor Teen
Review Posted Online: Sept. 14, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2024
Whether you came for the lore or the love, perfection.
Broken people, complicated families, magic, and Faerie politics: Black’s back.
After the tumultuous ending to the last volume (marriage, exile, and the seeming collapse of all her plots), Jude finds herself in the human world, which lacks appeal despite a childhood spent longing to go back. The price of her upbringing becomes clear: A human raised in the multihued, multiformed, always capricious Faerie High Court by the man who killed her parents, trained for intrigue and combat, recruited to a spy organization, and ultimately the power behind the coup and the latest High King, Jude no longer understands how to exist happily in a world that isn’t full of magic and danger. A plea from her estranged twin sends her secretly back to Faerie, where things immediately come to a boil with Cardan (king, nemesis, love interest) and all the many political strands Jude has tugged on for the past two volumes. New readers will need to go back to The Cruel Prince (2018) to follow the complexities—political and personal side plots abound—but the legions of established fans will love every minute of this lushly described, tightly plotted trilogy closer. Jude might be traumatized and emotionally unhealthy, but she’s an antihero worth cheering on. There are few physical descriptions of humans and some queer representation.
Whether you came for the lore or the love, perfection. (Fantasy. 14-adult)Pub Date: Nov. 19, 2019
ISBN: 978-0-316-31042-0
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: Aug. 27, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2019
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