An intriguing setting but let down by limited character development.
More adventures in the strange and fascinating world introduced in Game of Strength and Storm (2022).
This duology closer continues to riff on Greek mythology. Despite Gen’s winning the contest, the cruel conjoined Red and Crystal Empresses of Olympia named her the loser. They plan to hold her father hostage while Gen steals the Cerberus and golden apples from neighboring empire Elysium. Gen, joined by StormMaker siblings Castor and Pollux as well as Bale, Pollux’s servant companion; thief Adikia; and deaf MetalBender Flek, heads off, knowing her actions will incite a war. The heart of this volume is relationships rather than adventures, and combined with the largely one-dimensional characterization, this makes for a less appealing read. Close third-person narration provides insights into Gen’s, Pollux’s, and Castor’s minds, while the rest of the team seems to exist primarily to propel the plot forward. Gen and Pollux fixate on their relationship, complicated by Gen’s MindWorker powers that are triggered when they kiss, while Castor thinks about money and power—and sometimes Adikia. Those occasional softer moments are subsumed by her inability to show empathy for others, however. Readers may find it hard to cheer for the team even if they are already invested in the characters who are diverse in fantasy races and species.
An intriguing setting but let down by limited character development. (Fantasy. 13-18)Pub Date: March 21, 2023
ISBN: 978-1-63583-082-8
Page Count: 416
Publisher: Flux
Review Posted Online: Dec. 13, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 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
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
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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