A cheerful tone and clever premise let down by uneven execution.
A superintelligent humanoid escapes from the university lab where she was made—and gets a job in a coffee shop.
At Inkcap, Ruby sees all her tasks as systems to understand. Most of them, such as sweeping up spilled coffee beans, are simple systems with easily measurable success conditions. Humans, however, are systems that defy reason, so Ruby repeatedly revises her approach to finding their success conditions—in other words, what makes them happy. After observing a meet-cute between customers, Ruby begins to carefully orchestrate romances. Her targets include Mira, her coworker and best friend, and the hot “Comic Book Girl” who frequents Inkcap. While the scientists who created Ruby attempt to track her down, her own romance with the stranger “Decaf Americano” might prove to be her downfall. The supporting characters, while lightly developed, are delightful; a romantic subplot about two eccentric Inkcap patrons offers welcome pauses from the central narrative. But the queer romance at the book’s conclusion feels tacked on and leaves a loose end. Irreverent humor abounds, whether in the 20-foot-long tardigrade designed to control the population of squirrels on campus or in the recurring references to Mira’s constantly shifting college major. The full-color illustrations are pastel-forward, matching this graphic novel’s sprightly romantic tone. Ruby has light skin and pinkish hair, Mira has peach-toned skin and brown hair, and there’s some diversity in the secondary cast.
A cheerful tone and clever premise let down by uneven execution. (Graphic science fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: Feb. 3, 2026
ISBN: 9781534495869
Page Count: 208
Publisher: McElderry
Review Posted Online: Oct. 25, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2025
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
A lackluster and sometimes disturbing mishmash of overused tropes.
The Plague has left a population divided between Elites and Ordinaries—those who have powers and those who don’t; now, an Ordinary teen fights for her life.
Paedyn Gray witnessed the king kill her father five years ago, and she’s been thieving and sleeping rough ever since, all while faking Psychic abilities. When she inadvertently saves the life of Prince Kai, she becomes embroiled in the Purging Trials, a competition to commemorate the sickness that killed most of the kingdom’s Ordinaries. Kai’s duties as the future Enforcer include eradicating any remaining Ordinaries, and these Trials are his chance to prove that he’s internalized his brutal training. But Kai can’t help but find Pae’s blue eyes, silver hair, and unabashed attitude enchanting. She likewise struggles to resist his stormy gray eyes, dark hair, and rakish behavior, even as they’re pitted against each other in the Trials and by the king himself. Scenes and concepts that are strongly reminiscent of the Hunger Games fall flat: They aren’t bolstered by the original’s heart or worldbuilding logic that would have justified a few extreme story elements. Illogical leaps and inconsistent characterizations abound, with lighthearted romantic interludes juxtaposed against genocide, child abuse, and sadism. These elements, which are not sufficiently addressed, combined with the use of ableist language, cannot be erased by any amount of romantic banter. Main characters are cued white; the supporting cast has some brown-skinned characters.
A lackluster and sometimes disturbing mishmash of overused tropes. (map) (Fantasy. 14-18)Pub Date: Nov. 7, 2023
ISBN: 9798987380406
Page Count: 538
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Sept. 9, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2023
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