Fans of the series will be satisfied by this dramatic conclusion.
Picks up right where The Demon World (2019) left off: with a battle won, but the real fight is still to come.
Catherine finds herself Queen of Pitoria after lying about her marriage to King Tzsayn. With Tzsayn injured, she is left to run the country and manage an army ravaged by illness. Knowing she cannot visit him in the infirmary, a wounded Ambrose nevertheless desperately misses Catherine. Edyon, now Prince of Abask and heir to the throne of Calidor, faces the monumental task of convincing local lords of the dangers of Aloysius’ boy army, fueled by demon smoke. Will he be outmatched in a political game? All seems lost for March as he finds himself in Brigant with only the clothes on his back, but he decides his best bet is to join Aloysius’ boy army, where he might secretly acquire useful information for Edyon, with whom he is still in love. Tash is still lost in the demon tunnels. Everyone seems to forget about Catherine’s brother Harold, now heir to the throne of Brigant. Aware of the demon smoke, he is determined to lead an army to victory. While the book starts out slowly, due to multiple characters with point-of-view chapters, ultimately it is much more exciting and engaging than its predecessors. The often gory action sequences are well written and fascinating. The language at times can feel gratuitous.
Fans of the series will be satisfied by this dramatic conclusion. (map) (Fantasy. 14-18)Pub Date: Aug. 25, 2020
ISBN: 978-0-425-29027-9
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Viking
Review Posted Online: May 31, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2020
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
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