An engaging coming-of-age tale that quickly takes wing.
In Wright’s debut YA fantasy novel, a teenage girl must decide whether to make a deal with a devil.
Lesley Robinson managed to make it all the way to high school without knowing anything about her absent father or that her mother has been hiding a huge secret. While visiting kindly old neighbor Mrs. McKee, the elderly woman surprisingly reveals that Lesley’s mother is a witch and that she senses “a great change” in the teen’s near future. The girl never imagined that change would also involve finding out that her father is a demon—specifically, her dad is an incubus and a servant of Asmodeus, a powerful demon prince. The surprises continue as Lesley develops horns, batlike wings, and even a tail. When Lesley is no longer able to hide her true nature, she and her mother move to Misty Hollow, a haven for fae creatures like herself. Now she must deal with a new town, a new school, and Asmodeus himself, who shows up to stake a claim on Lesley as his newest servant. When he offers her a chance to learn magic—including a spell that would allow her to appear human again and possibly return to her old life—she strongly considers striking a bargain. In this fantasy novel, Wright offers readers a brisk tale of a young half-demon as she struggles to decide her own fate. The plot moves along with some speed, as when Lesley goes from learning about her ancestry to starting to grow wings in the space of only a few pages. It results in a sense of consistent forward momentum that will likely keep younger readers interested and invested. Wright keeps the action intriguing by introducing a host of other creatures in Lesley’s new school, including such monstrous types as vampires, werewolves, and harpies, among others. Overall, it makes for an offbeat blend of brand-new fae creatures and beloved familiar ones.
An engaging coming-of-age tale that quickly takes wing.Pub Date: Oct. 31, 2022
ISBN: 979-8986709826
Page Count: 222
Publisher: Battle Crow Books
Review Posted Online: Sept. 23, 2022
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
A descriptive and atmospheric paranormal social thriller that could be a bit tighter.
After a Nigerian British girl goes off to an exclusive boarding school that seems to prey on less-privileged students, she discovers there might be some truth behind an urban legend.
Ife Adebola joins the Urban Achievers scholarship program at pricey, high-pressure Nithercott School, arriving shortly after a student called Leon mysteriously disappeared. Gossip says he’s a victim of the glowing-eyed Changing Man who targets the lonely, leaving them changed. Ife doesn’t believe in the myth, but amid the stresses of Nithercott’s competitive, privileged, majority-white environment, where she is constantly reminded of her state school background, she does miss her friends and family. When Malika, a fellow Black scholarship student, disappears and then returns, acting strangely devoid of personality, Ife worries the Changing Man is real—and that she’s next. Ife joins forces with classmate Bijal and Benny, Leon’s younger brother, to uncover the truth about who the Changing Man is and what he wants. Culminating in a detailed, gory, and extended climactic battle, this verbose thriller tempts readers with a nefarious mystery involving racial and class-based violence but never quite lives up to its potential and peters out thematically by its explosive finale. However, this debut offers highly visually evocative and eerie descriptions of characters and events and will appeal to fans of creature horror, social commentary, and dark academia.
A descriptive and atmospheric paranormal social thriller that could be a bit tighter. (Thriller. 14-18)Pub Date: Sept. 26, 2023
ISBN: 9781250868138
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Review Posted Online: June 8, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2023
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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