Engrossing.
An original debut reimagines Greek mythology.
Each year, the sadistic Olympian Empresses conduct a lottery and offer the winners one wish each—for a price. Seventeen-year-old Gen’s wish is to free her innocent MindWorker father from prison. StormMaker Lady Castor’s wish is to be named heir to Arcadia and supersede her musician brother, Pollux. This year, the Empresses set conditions: There will be 10 tasks (all creative twists on the labors of Hercules), with Gen and Castor vying to win the majority and receive a wish; only the winner will receive her wish. Gen, the last surviving member of the Mazon people after a genocide at the hands of the golden-skinned Gargareans, values her chosen family of animals, with whom she has a telepathic bond, and longs to rebuild her parents’ traveling circus. Castor is spoiled and cruel and, with her father, the Duke, sold the bottled storms that allowed the Mazon genocide, but she shows occasional moments of vulnerability. Close third-person narration switches among Gen, Castor, and Pollux, who has long admired Gen from afar and wants his sister to lose for her own good. Gen’s skin is brown and silver; Castor and Pollux have white hair and skin. Supporting characters bring fantasy-race diversity. The complexities of the worldbuilding notwithstanding, this is a fast-paced, magical, action-oriented story with a conclusion that points to more adventures to come.
Engrossing. (Fantasy. 13-18)Pub Date: June 7, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-63583-076-7
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Flux
Review Posted Online: March 15, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2022
BOOK REVIEW
An entertaining and atmospheric, though sometimes clumsy, exploration of the true cost of beauty.
In this retelling of a classic, a drama student’s obsession with beauty leads her down a dark—and possibly deadly—path.
Eighteen-year-old Penny Paxton is beginning her first year at Dorian Drama Academy in Edinburgh, Scotland, where she hopes to follow in her starlet mother’s footsteps—and earn the love that her mother has never seemed to offer. At Dorian, Penny is mentored by Royal Shakespeare Company legend Orlagh Camran, who makes her the compelling offer of a portrait by the Masked Painter, a mysterious artist with the ability to gift his subjects everlasting youth and beauty. But shortly after Penny’s portrait is complete, several of the Masked Painter’s subjects are found murdered. Fearing that she’s made a terrible mistake and may become the next victim, Penny, who’s gay, begins to investigate the murders with the help of an unlikely ally. As she attempts to uncover the truth surrounding the Masked Painter and the murders, she’s forced to reckon with her own toxic obsession with beauty. This chilling, atmospheric novel, inspired by The Picture of Dorian Gray, is entertaining and full of twists, though some of the reveals feel contrived and some questions are left unanswered. The plot unravels at a leisurely pace but eventually builds to an action-packed (if somewhat convoluted) conclusion. Most characters are cued white.
An entertaining and atmospheric, though sometimes clumsy, exploration of the true cost of beauty. (content note, author’s note, bonus scene) (Fantasy thriller. 14-18)Pub Date: May 26, 2026
ISBN: 9781250346797
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Wednesday Books
Review Posted Online: March 9, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2026
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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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