A rousing, swashbuckling, dystopian romp.
In a long-awaited new Traction Era tale, a motley band of adventurers sets out to take a city back from a ruthless usurper.
Setting his tale between the timelines of the Fever Crumb series and the Mortal Engines Quartet, Reeve sends a band of unlikely underdogs up against fiendishly clever new dictator Gabriel Strega. Strega is bent on turning the formerly peaceful mobile town of Thorbury into a ravening urban predator with the help of a small army of mercenaries, a sinister pair of killers, and a squad of hulking cyborg Revenants. The author parades his appealing ensemble—led by genteel but steely tutor Lavinia Torpenhow, boozy ex-soldier Oddington Doom, and Tamzin Pook, a deceptively unprepossessing young gladiator of tantalizingly obscure origin—through a breakneck series of brushes with disaster in various locales, from blood-soaked arena sands to one of posh floating spa Bad Luftgarten’s literal Air B&Bs. He then pitches his cast into climactic hails of snapping bullets, titanic bot vs. bot battles, and fan-pleasing scenes of massive cities chowing down on one another. The famously rude waiters at the trendy Baguette Pneumatique bistro in mighty, peripatetic Paris and similar sly tweaks relieve the overall plot’s grimmer tendencies. Readers will wind up as exhausted as the cast, which, aside from a short encounter with members of the African Zagwan Empire and passing reference to the silk weavers of the eastern Shan Guo kingdom, largely presents white.
A rousing, swashbuckling, dystopian romp. (Science fiction. 12-18)Pub Date: Nov. 12, 2024
ISBN: 9781546138235
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: Aug. 17, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2024
In addition to the supernatural elements, Brosgol interweaves some savvy insights about the illusion of perfection and...
A deliciously creepy page-turning gem from first-time writer and illustrator Brosgol finds brooding teenager Anya trying to escape the past—both her own and the ghost haunting her.
Anya feels out of place at her preppy private school; embarrassed by her Russian heritage, she has worked hard to lose her accent and to look more like everyone else. After a particularly frustrating morning at the bus stop, Anya storms off, only to accidentally fall down a well. Down in the dark hole, she meets Emily, a ghost who claims to be a murder victim trapped down in the dank abyss for 90 years. With Emily’s help, Anya manages to escape, though once free, she learns that Emily has traveled out with her. At first, Emily seems like the perfect friend; however, once her motives become clear, Anya learns that “perfect” may only be an illusion. A moodily atmospheric spectrum of grays washes over the clean, tidy panels, setting a distinct stage before the first words appear. Brosgol’s tight storytelling invokes the chilling feeling of Neil Gaiman’s Coraline (2002), though for a decidedly older set.
In addition to the supernatural elements, Brosgol interweaves some savvy insights about the illusion of perfection and outward appearance. (Graphic supernatural fiction. 12 & up)Pub Date: June 7, 2011
ISBN: 978-1-59643-552-0
Page Count: 224
Publisher: First Second
Review Posted Online: April 18, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2011
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
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
