A twisty, plot-driven magical murder mystery that struggles to show rather than tell.
Six young people race to solve the murder of the king who was killed in front of them.
On the night of the ball celebrating the end of a war between two magical kingdoms, Avendell and Istellia, King Costis of Avendell gathers five people in secret: Oak, his personal guard; Ellion, a failed healer turned necromancer; Clove, a skilled beast handler; Melarie, a princess from Istellia; and his own son and heir, Kellam. Also lurking in the room is Vesryn, an assassin tasked with murdering Costis. Suddenly, the lights flicker off, and in the darkness, the king is killed. Each of those present had the means and motive to slay him—but which one did it? With a snowstorm confining everyone to the castle and more bodies appearing, the six must work together to find out who the murderer is and avoid becoming the next victim. This locked-room murder mystery switches among the points of view of the central characters, but their voices aren’t fully differentiated. The authors convey the complex mythology and worldbuilding through large chunks of exposition, backstory, and infodumps. Still, readers seeking an action-packed thriller in a magical setting will enjoy this duology opener that explores power, belief, and taking charge of your fate. In this world, which evokes a fantasy Europe, the main characters present white.
A twisty, plot-driven magical murder mystery that struggles to show rather than tell. (Fantasy mystery. 14-18)Pub Date: Sept. 16, 2025
ISBN: 9780063379619
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Storytide/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: July 19, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2025
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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