A stunningly beautiful Sapphic adventure about figuring out love and belonging.
A fae and a human discover the surprising ways their lives are intertwined.
With Aisling’s 18th birthday looming, the happy, beloved princess is excited about her future. Her only real challenge is her violent allergy to iron. But when a strange young woman armed with a sword enters her bedroom one night as she sleeps, everything changes. The touch of the iron blade reveals her true form: a purple-skinned, green-haired, horned fae. When even her family refuses to believe it’s her, Aisling has no choice but to follow the intruder, Forget-Me-Not, a butch girl with light brown skin and blue eyes, into a fairy circle. She’s the human whose life Aisling stole, albeit unknowingly: Aisling was born into the Unseelie Court, but a scheming courtier swapped her for Forget-Me-Not, the mortal royals’ infant. Their lives may be connected, but the two seemingly can’t get along even for the short time Forget-Me-Not needs to complete her plans, using Aisling as a bargaining chip. As Aisling learns about the fae world and the evil ambitious force behind the original deception, she and Forget-Me-Not bicker, often humorously—and grow closer, until their hostility softens. But their newfound passion is put to the test: Can their love survive? Fully realized characters grace the richly colored illustrations that bring this emotion-filled page-turner to life. Costa creatively varies the panel shapes and borders, and her expressive artwork conveys true fairy-tale magic.
A stunningly beautiful Sapphic adventure about figuring out love and belonging. (Graphic fantasy. 14-18)Pub Date: April 14, 2026
ISBN: 9781250784162
Page Count: 320
Publisher: First Second
Review Posted Online: Dec. 26, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2026
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
SEEN & HEARD
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
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
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