A fast-paced fantasy with elements of romance and violence.
Two orphaned teens are drawn to each other in a prequel to the Arthurian cycle.
A legend tells of a powerful magic yielder who will one day stand by a great king and ensure the kingdom’s survival. When Maggie discovers she has powers and that they are connected to the moon and to the feared draignochs that plague the kingdom, she hides behind Xavier, her surrogate father and traveling performer, hoping to pass him off as the real magician. When they are brought to the forbidding Walled City to present their magic before infamous King Umbert, Maggie becomes entangled with Griffin, the king’s champion draignoch slayer, who has conspicuous facial scars from his battles. As Maggie’s and Griffin’s lives collide, the kingdom’s ultimate fate hangs in the balance. Fantasy veteran Salvatore and debut young adult author Lewis collaborate in this brisk fantasy featuring magic, politics, and dragons, with a heavy dose of sweet romance on the side. The narrative switches between first person (Maggie) and third person (Griffin), and their voices skew young despite both being 17 and in contrast to the story’s overall heavy themes of violence (including a casually depicted sexual assault). Although the worldbuilding is superficially fleshed out and the ending rushed, the two main characters are well developed, and the story entertains. Main characters are assumed White; a slur for Roma people appears twice in the narrative.
A fast-paced fantasy with elements of romance and violence. (Fantasy. 14-18)Pub Date: Oct. 19, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-06-291566-5
Page Count: 416
Publisher: HarperTeen
Review Posted Online: Aug. 31, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2021
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
There’s not much plot here, but readers will relish the opportunity to climb inside Autumn’s head.
The finely drawn characters capture readers’ attention in this debut.
Autumn and Phineas, nicknamed Finny, were born a week apart; their mothers are still best friends. Growing up, Autumn and Finny were like peas in a pod despite their differences: Autumn is “quirky and odd,” while Finny is “sweet and shy and everyone like[s] him.” But in eighth grade, Autumn and Finny stop being friends due to an unexpected kiss. They drift apart and find new friends, but their friendship keeps asserting itself at parties, shared holiday gatherings and random encounters. In the summer after graduation, Autumn and Finny reconnect and are finally ready to be more than friends. But on August 8, everything changes, and Autumn has to rely on all her strength to move on. Autumn’s coming-of-age is sensitively chronicled, with a wide range of experiences and events shaping her character. Even secondary characters are well-rounded, with their own histories and motivations.
There’s not much plot here, but readers will relish the opportunity to climb inside Autumn’s head. (Fiction. 14 & up)Pub Date: April 1, 2013
ISBN: 978-1-4022-7782-5
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Review Posted Online: Feb. 12, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2013
BOOK REVIEW
SEEN & HEARD
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