An underdeveloped high fantasy that fails to deliver.
A teenage girl made high queen of the fae flails against time to save herself from the death sentenced imposed on every Mortal Queen.
Each year, ambassadors from the mysterious fae realm come to the five islands to select a human girl to serve as their queen. Bronze-skinned Althea, who’s in her final year of eligibility, is shocked when her name is drawn. Sad to leave her twin, Cal, and younger brother, Malcom, but eager for the adventures and luxuries that await, Thea arrives at the fae court unprepared for the dangers ahead. Upon discovering that her fate is to live only two more years, Thea is determined to survive by tricking the six fae kings into granting her favors. With the help of newfound fae friends Talen and Odette, Thea attempts to outmaneuver the wily fae, uncover the truth about her missing mother, and escape before her time is up. Without substantial worldbuilding, McCombs’ efforts to create drama through court intrigue and alliances fall flat, with conflicts arising and quickly being resolved without furthering the plot. The uneven and at times baffling narrative pacing results in a slow slog for readers. A lukewarm insta-romance with Bastian, a fae king who’s supposedly “incapable of love,” does little to heat up the story. Human and fae characters are diverse in appearance.
An underdeveloped high fantasy that fails to deliver. (power structure chart) (Fantasy. 13-18)Pub Date: Feb. 6, 2024
ISBN: 9798886050905
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Enclave Escape
Review Posted Online: Dec. 6, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2024
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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