Masterful storytelling let down by a lackluster ending.
In imperial Mali in 1359, a 16-year-old girl finds magic, danger, and love while working for a princess.
Aminata Aqit cannot wait to escape the royal palace. Ever since her older sister, Haddy, told a lie that ended Amie’s engagement, Amie has been stuck working as a chambermaid for Princess Mariama Keita, the only daughter of Emperor Suleyman. The pampered daughter of a successful Songhai salt merchant, Amie finds it difficult to adjust to the dawn-to-dusk work in Timbuktu. Sweet-natured Penda and outspoken Jeneba, her fellow chambermaids, provide advice and comfort as she learns the ways of the Malinke court. However, she can’t adjust to the emperor’s Trials: Any man seeking Mariama’s hand in marriage faces a challenge in the desert. Those who fail are placed in a pot of boiling water. Disgusted and depressed, Mariama seeks to end the Trials before the 100th suitor dies. When Amie finds a magical map leading to the home of Hausakoy, god of metalworking, Mariama believes it offers a solution to her father’s brutality. Amie’s faith in family and friends is tested as she, Penda, Jeneba, and the final suitor venture into the Sahara. The oppressive imperial regime affects the lives of both Mariama and Amie, forming the foundation of their bond. Over time, Amie questions her sexuality and feelings for Mariama in a beautifully organic way. Strongly developed themes of betrayal and trust add depth to the vivid worldbuilding. Unfortunately, unresolved plotlines in this stand-alone work ultimately leave readers hanging.
Masterful storytelling let down by a lackluster ending. (Fantasy. 13-18)Pub Date: Jan. 28, 2025
ISBN: 9781250852946
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Flatiron Books
Review Posted Online: Oct. 11, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2024
Raw, delicate, and deeply caring.
When Death-Cast doesn’t call, fate intertwines the lives of two boys, both haunted by their pasts and with futures they can’t escape.
In this third installment of the series that opened with 2017’s They Both Die at the End, Paz Dario waits every night for Death-Cast to call—as it should have for his father nearly 10 years ago, when Paz shot him to save his mother’s life. But the call never comes. Death-Cast killed Paz’s dreams of an acting career: No one will hire him now because the world sees him as a villain. When Paz tries (not for the first time) to put an end to his suffering, an unexpected encounter with Alano Rosa, the heir of Death-Cast, stops him. Both in a place of desperation, Alano and Paz sign a contract to live for Begin Days instead of waiting for their End Days. As suspenseful and emotionally wrenching as the previous titles in the series, this new installment explores heavy themes of abuse, mental health, self-harm, and suicide. Paz grapples with a recent diagnosis of borderline personality disorder. Silvera surrounds Alano and Paz with a web of complex relationships. Although the protagonists fall fast for one another and form a deep connection over Alano’s desire to support Paz, Silvera emphasizes the importance of professional help. Both Alano and Paz have Puerto Rican heritage. The cliffhanger ending promises more to come.
Raw, delicate, and deeply caring. (content warning, resources) (Speculative fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: May 6, 2025
ISBN: 9780063240858
Page Count: 720
Publisher: Quill Tree Books/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: March 22, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2025
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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