May satisfy Christian fans of dystopian science fiction.
After Cain is infected with the Nightmare Virus, he only has 22 days to find a cure and save humanity.
Cain wanted to build dream worlds as a professional Draftsman, but then the Nightmare Virus arrived. It traps sleeping people in the nightmarish state Cain’s older brother, Nole, called the Tunnel, adding one hour of sleep per day until, after 22 Sleeps, you never wake up. When Cain is infected after Nole’s death, he fights his way through the Tunnel by sheer force of will and finds Tenebra, a dreamscape reminiscent of ancient Rome that’s inhabited by other infected people. Cain makes a bargain with young Emperor Luc—save Luc’s infected father (who’s in a Life Support Pod that needs charging in the Real World), access the cure that’s locked in his mind, and get an exorbitantly expensive LifeSuPod of his own. While Cain is asleep, he must earn his Tenebran citizenship by surviving the Arena and dangerous Spores who enter and exit the Nightmare at will. When he’s awake, he faces the apocalypse. If he dies in one world, he also dies in the other. While this genre-bending work features an interesting premise, it’s slow to start, the worldbuilding is muddled, and the ending may not satisfy readers who are unfamiliar with Christianity. The author’s approach to dealing with mental health and emotional struggles is confusing, potentially communicating blame for sufferers. Most characters read white.
May satisfy Christian fans of dystopian science fiction. (Christian science fiction. 13-18)Pub Date: July 16, 2024
ISBN: 9798886051308
Page Count: 368
Publisher: Enclave Escape
Review Posted Online: May 30, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2024
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
Immersive and engaging, despite some flaws, and destined to capture imaginations.
Magic, mystery, and love intertwine and invite in this newest take on the “enchanted circus” trope.
Sisters raised by their abusive father, a governor of a colonial backwater in a world vaguely reminiscent of the late 18th century, Scarlett and Donatella each long for something more. Scarlett, olive-skinned, dark of hair and attitude, longs for Caraval, the fabled, magical circus helmed by the possibly evil Master Legend Santos, while blonde, sunny Tella finds comfort in drink and the embraces of various men. A slightly awkward start, with inconsistencies of attitude and setting, rapidly smooths out when they, along with handsome “golden-brown” sailor Julian, flee to Caraval on the eve of Scarlett’s arranged marriage. Tella disappears, and Scarlett must navigate a nighttime world of magic to find her. Caraval delights the senses: beautiful and scary, described in luscious prose, this is a show readers will wish they could enter. Dresses can be purchased for secrets or days of life; clocks can become doors; bridges move: this is an inventive and original circus, laced with an edge of horror. A double love story, one sensual romance and the other sisterly loyalty, anchors the plot, but the real star here is Caraval and its secrets.
Immersive and engaging, despite some flaws, and destined to capture imaginations. (Fantasy. 14 & up)Pub Date: Jan. 31, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-250-09525-1
Page Count: 416
Publisher: Flatiron Books
Review Posted Online: Sept. 18, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2016
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