Unforgettable characters enhance this taut dystopian tale.
In Nixon’s YA SF series kickoff, a group of teenagers undergo ruthless training to defend their city against hordes of deadly creatures.
Acadia, the last human city on Earth, surrounds its citizens with the Wall and the Eight Gates, which are steel-reinforced. However, true protection comes from the Validated: warriors enhanced by energy-pulsing, Greek Corinthian-style armor. They fight off Roaches—giant bug-like entities that periodically launch mass attacks. Cojax, like every Acadian at age 16, descends into the Mahghetto, where Disciples train and engage in battles to become the Validated. People expect good things from Cojax, as he’s the son of Titan, one of the Validated’s elite Fifty. Another Disciple, Jessica, is known as “the Aberration,” because she was discovered outside the Wall.Each Disciple needs to keep their “Sacred Score,”shown on a Placard on their chests, as high as possible; this is achieved in various ways, including defeating a fellow Disciple in combat. Many of the teens see Jessica as an outcast, but Cojax comes to see her as a worthy ally who knows a frightening truth about Acadia. Nixon masterfully blends action with suspense; Cojax and Jessica are in perpetual danger, because if their numbers drop too low, they’ll be “Rifted” and simply vanish from Acadia. Battles with Roaches showcase the Validated’s strength as they wield powerful Arc Blades, but also show their vulnerability, as anyone can fall prey to swarms. This book primarily sticks with Cojax and Jessica, but they’re just two members of a sublime cast that also includes Jessica’s guardian, Elena, who spends years preparing her for the Mahghetto, and Cojax’s older brother, Marcus, who’s worried about his upcoming Civil Union with a spouse he’s yet to meet. Pithy descriptions (“Panic built. Not a scream—but a still, clawing kind. The kind that curled inward and tried to make her disappear”) complement the author’s exceptional dialogue. Time in the Mahghetto entails plenty of politicking, especially from Adriana, a manipulative Disciple who seemingly targets Jessica. In the end, this opening installment leaves plenty to explore, including the likelihood that one person is plotting revenge.
Unforgettable characters enhance this taut dystopian tale.Pub Date: Jan. 15, 2026
ISBN: 9781951780357
Page Count: 590
Publisher: S&J PUBLISHING LLC
Review Posted Online: Dec. 8, 2025
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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
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