This debut fantasy follows a brother and sister on globe-hopping missions to find their father—and save the world.
Dyson’s story begins in the middle of an ocean on a floating port called Hop, a deteriorating habitat of rotting wood and repurposed garbage that hasn’t had visitors in many years. Separated from the outside world, the inhabitants of Hop have no idea what has transpired elsewhere on the planet (known as Esa). But for most of them, the dream is to somehow leave Hop for more desirous locales. The father of 15-year-old Gaiel Izz and his sister, Lynd, 12, did just that five years ago when he left on a ship, never to return. The siblings live with their mother, Mape. In a magic-filled world where the forces of destruction and creation are strong (the power can be found in floating particles called spryts), the Izz family has been both blessed and cursed. Gai has the ability to fix things, while Lynd, when she gets agitated, inadvertently destroys what she touches. Knowing that their father—who was rumored to be sick with “Ruin” when he left—may hold the clues to Lynd’s curse, the two siblings begin epic quests to find answers. Lynd touches a red spryt and accidentally rips a hole in space and time, while Gai escapes Hop on the back of a giant sea turtle. Literally packed with nonstop action and adventure on every page, the two siblings’ very different journeys culminate in a jaw-dropping, apocalyptic climax with the very existence of the planet hanging in the balance. While the storyline is impressively intricate—and original—it’s the author’s brilliant worldbuilding and his ability to create a cast of deeply developed and emotionally connected characters that make this such an applaudable tale. Lastly, the novel’s overarching theme is profoundly moving: “We define ourselves.”
An exceptional, must-read adventure written by an exciting new voice in fantasy.Pub Date: April 12, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-7379105-0-3
Page Count: 328
Publisher: WONDERLOVE
Review Posted Online: Feb. 11, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2022
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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Black is building a complex mythology; now is a great time to tune in.
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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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A dystopic thriller joins the crowded shelves but doesn't distinguish itself.
Juliette was torn from her home and thrown into an asylum by The Reestablishment, a militaristic regime in control since an environmental catastrophe left society in ruins. Juliette’s journal holds her tortured thoughts in an attempt to repress memories of the horrific act that landed her in a cell. Mysteriously, Juliette’s touch kills. After months of isolation, her captors suddenly give her a cellmate—Adam, a drop-dead gorgeous guy. Adam, it turns out, is immune to her deadly touch. Unfortunately, he’s a soldier under orders from Warner, a power-hungry 19-year-old. But Adam belongs to a resistance movement; he helps Juliette escape to their stronghold, where she finds that she’s not the only one with superhuman abilities. The ending falls flat as the plot devolves into comic-book territory. Fast-paced action scenes convey imminent danger vividly, but there’s little sense of a broader world here. Overreliance on metaphor to express Juliette’s jaw-dropping surprise wears thin: “My mouth is sitting on my kneecaps. My eyebrows are dangling from the ceiling.” For all of her independence and superpowers, Juliette never moves beyond her role as a pawn in someone else’s schemes.
Part cautionary tale, part juicy love story, this will appeal to action and adventure fans who aren't yet sick of the genre. (Science fiction. 12 & up)Pub Date: Nov. 15, 2011
ISBN: 978-0-06-208548-1
Page Count: 352
Publisher: HarperTeen
Review Posted Online: April 5, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2011
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