Another winding tale of intrigue and adventures that leans heavily on the heart.
Vanja is back in the sequel to Owen’s Little Thieves (2021), and she has traded her title of thief for leader of a small-town cult.
Despite saving Minkja, gaining the affection of Junior Prefect Emeric Conrad, and reassuming her own identity, Vanja still doubts she is good enough. One particularly bleak, drunken night, after Vanja appropriates a local legend to gain assistance in recovering her dropped rubies, she is named the prophet of the Scarlet Maiden. When Emeric shows up to investigate reports of a cult, he is surprised to discover Vanja at its center. And soon after he arrives, the Scarlet Maiden herself appears and claims Emeric as her servant and sacrifice. Vanja and Emeric set out to discover whether the Scarlet Maiden is a true Low God and attempt to save Emeric from her claim. Along the way, Vanja searches for her family and learns more about love as she grows closer to Emeric and faces the possibility of losing him. Struggles with identity and feelings of inadequacy are handled with an honest, thoughtful hand, while moments of humor punctuate the heavier subject matter. Owen's masterful storytelling skills are evident in the balancing of Vanja's self-doubt and vulnerability as well as the sex, romance, humor, and adventure that keep the narrative moving. The author's atmospheric black-and-white woodblock-style illustrations appear throughout.
Another winding tale of intrigue and adventures that leans heavily on the heart. (content warnings) (Fantasy. 14-18)Pub Date: May 16, 2023
ISBN: 9781250831163
Page Count: 512
Publisher: Henry Holt
Review Posted Online: April 11, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2023
An entertaining and atmospheric, though sometimes clumsy, exploration of the true cost of beauty.
In this retelling of a classic, a drama student’s obsession with beauty leads her down a dark—and possibly deadly—path.
Eighteen-year-old Penny Paxton is beginning her first year at Dorian Drama Academy in Edinburgh, Scotland, where she hopes to follow in her starlet mother’s footsteps—and earn the love that her mother has never seemed to offer. At Dorian, Penny is mentored by Royal Shakespeare Company legend Orlagh Camran, who makes her the compelling offer of a portrait by the Masked Painter, a mysterious artist with the ability to gift his subjects everlasting youth and beauty. But shortly after Penny’s portrait is complete, several of the Masked Painter’s subjects are found murdered. Fearing that she’s made a terrible mistake and may become the next victim, Penny, who’s gay, begins to investigate the murders with the help of an unlikely ally. As she attempts to uncover the truth surrounding the Masked Painter and the murders, she’s forced to reckon with her own toxic obsession with beauty. This chilling, atmospheric novel, inspired by The Picture of Dorian Gray, is entertaining and full of twists, though some of the reveals feel contrived and some questions are left unanswered. The plot unravels at a leisurely pace but eventually builds to an action-packed (if somewhat convoluted) conclusion. Most characters are cued white.
An entertaining and atmospheric, though sometimes clumsy, exploration of the true cost of beauty. (content note, author’s note, bonus scene) (Fantasy thriller. 14-18)Pub Date: May 26, 2026
ISBN: 9781250346797
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Wednesday Books
Review Posted Online: March 9, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2026
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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
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