The Stork trilogy ends in a whirlwind of Norse mythology as Katla tries to escape the deal she made in volume two.
Frost (2011) saw Kat battling the Snow Queen to save her boyfriend, Jack, who has paranormal powers as Jack Frost. Kat has her stork powers, but she runs afoul of the other storks when she takes things into her own hands. Meanwhile, two characters she met in Iceland, Jinky, the rough-cut shaman-in-training, and charismatic Marik, actually a selkie in disguise as a human, show up as new students in her high school. Marik reminds her that she promised her newborn sister Leira to the court of the Norse gods as payment for the opportunity to rescue Jack. Now Kat has to find a way to save Leira without angering two Norse goddesses so much that they’ll bring the entire world to an end. Yes, it sounds too over-the-top, but Delsol makes it all work with Kat’s spunky personality, plenty of dry, hip wisecracks (“Jinky shook her head, demonstrating the possible origins of the headbangers brand of dance style”), friendships, rivalries, a little romance and lots of suspense. Readers will care about each character with their distinct personalities, often quirky but acceptable as real humans. The prose trips along, always entertaining, until the story just zooms, even though this plot becomes a bit complex. Best read with the previous two books, the series ends with an unforeseen but rather satisfying surprise. Although Katla’s story may be over, readers will certainly look for more from this talented writer.
The whole trilogy stands out for originality and great entertainment. (Paranormal adventure. 12 & up)Pub Date: Sept. 11, 2012
ISBN: 978-0-7636-6010-9
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Candlewick
Review Posted Online: June 13, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2012
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Rachel, a 16-year-old trauma survivor, is initiated into her private school’s secret society for horror fans.
A year after surviving a violent attack, high school junior Rachel Chavez becomes the new girl at Manchester Prep on Manhattan’s affluent Upper East Side. The middle-class daughter of a faculty member, Rachel feels invisible except for her one new friend, harmless school gossip Saundra Clairmont. After a school party ends in a ghost story, a séance, and screaming, Rachel—who immersed herself in horror movies as a coping device—notices a prankster amid the chaos. Soon, she is initiated into the Mary Shelley Club, a tightknit group that requires secrecy and rule-following from its members. She joins Freddie Martinez, a film geek on scholarship; hot-tempered, Stephen King–adoring Felicity Chu; charming Thayer Turner, whose political family is compared to the Obamas; and brooding golden boy Bram Wilding. Mostly the teens just watch all sorts of horror films—classics, slasher, zombie, psychological—but membership also involves more sinister activities. Moldavsky’s tightly plotted tale weaves in dark humor, an impressive amount of horror trivia, and insightful references to Frankenstein. Readers will quickly become invested in Rachel’s story even when she’s making difficult-to-witness mistakes. The characters are notably diverse; issues of ethnicity and social class are naturally woven into the story.
An atmospheric page-turner about loving scary movies, longing to belong, and uncovering the many masks people wear. (Horror. 14-18)Pub Date: April 13, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-250-23010-2
Page Count: 480
Publisher: Henry Holt
Review Posted Online: Feb. 5, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2021
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Black is building a complex mythology; now is a great time to tune in.
24
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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. 26, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2017
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