An adventure with a slow start but one that’s worth the wait.
The Stormwall blockades hundreds of worlds from Republic aid, but as the Nihil expand their empire, cracks in the wall threaten the future of their impenetrable domination.
Avon Starros loathes everything about the Nihil. She lacks the ruthlessness that drove her ambitious senator mother to betray the Republic for a seat beside Marchion Ro. One year ago, during the fall of Starlight Beacon, Avon helped her friend Imri, a Jedi Padawan, hide from the Force Eaters, but it’s only a matter of time before the Nihil find him. With the help of an unlikely team, all with their own motives for breaking through the Stormwall, Avon embarks on a mission of rescue and revenge. Only one person, a Jedi, has ever cracked the Stormwall’s defenses, but that’s enough to give Avon hope. Chapters alternate between the perspectives of Avon (a teen genius), Xylan Graf (an opportunistic theoretician held hostage by the Nihil), Jordanna Sparkburn (a San Tekka in search of her family), and Vernestra Rwoh (a grieving Jedi Knight, who’s on sabbatical). The first half of the book lags due to the slow setup, but once the characters set off on their personal missions, the pace flies at hyperspeed toward a satisfying cliffhanger ending. Most characters have brown or tan skin, and the story casually includes representation of queer characters and relationships.
An adventure with a slow start but one that’s worth the wait. (timeline) (Fantasy. 14-18)Pub Date: March 5, 2024
ISBN: 9781368093811
Page Count: 464
Publisher: Disney Lucasfilm
Review Posted Online: Feb. 13, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2024
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
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
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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