An engaging space adventure with relatable characters.
Taylor’s YA/New Adult SF adventure novel follows a teenager tasked with protecting the savior of humanity.
Jinx is a Protector who’s guarding Laris, whose amazing abilities are needed to save organic life from extinction; another character describes her as “an opening that universal energy pours through.” They’re on a spaceship headed to the Milky Way, and specifically the planet Earth, the crew’s long-abandoned home. This has Jinx on edge, as the Galactic Overseers restricted travel to that galaxy after an atomic war, so there’s no telling what’s waiting for them. Jinx and Laris are joined on their mission by nerdy scientists Jacob and Claire, who keep the ship and technology running; Hadu, who’s tasked with preparing Jinx for her work as a Protector; and DeeDee, an artificial intelligence that’s programmed to watch Jinx’s back. Jinx will do anything to protect Laris—even if it means adventuring with a ragtag group to a whole new world. However, it soon becomes clear that this Earth is nothing like the one inhabited by humanity’s ancestors. Soon, the crew discover that a couple of mercenaries have targeted Laris with tech, hired by an unknown client for a mysterious mission—and it appears that Sartillias, a dangerous enemy they’ve encountered before, is once again involved. Taylor pens an adventure story that will delight adult and young adult readers alike. It’s a direct sequel to Rise of the Protector (2019), and the author does a solid job of bringing readers who are unfamiliar with the first book into the story, without making it feel redundant for others. Many of the characters here are easy to like, thanks to DeeDee’s insatiable ice cream craving (and the mess it creates), Jinx’s absolute adoration of Laris, and the banter that Jinx and Jacob share: “You’re absolutely sure this one is safe?” Jinx says of a black hole. “Define ‘safe,’ ” Jacob responds. The author also shows skill at making impossible sequences, such as a wormhole travel scene, seem real, which makes for an entertaining read.
An engaging space adventure with relatable characters.Pub Date: Aug. 16, 2022
ISBN: 979-8986053714
Page Count: 286
Publisher: Self
Review Posted Online: July 12, 2022
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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
This fresh reworking of a Greek myth will resonate.
An otherworldly Latinx retelling of the Orpheus and Eurydice myth set in the South Bronx.
Pheus visits his father in the Bronx every summer. The Afro-Dominican teen is known for his mesmerizing bachata music, love of history, and smooth way with the ladies. Eury, a young Puerto Rican woman and Hurricane Maria survivor, is staying with her cousin for the summer because of a recent, unspecified traumatic event. Her family doesn’t know that she’s been plagued since childhood by the demonlike Ato. Pheus and Eury bond over music and quickly fall in love. Attacked at a dance club by Sileno, its salacious and satyrlike owner, Eury falls into a coma and is taken to el Inframundo by Ato. Pheus, despite his atheism, follows the advice of his father and a local bruja to journey to find his love in the Underworld. Rivera skillfully captures the sounds and feels of the Bronx—its unique, diverse culture and the creeping gentrification of its neighborhoods. Through an amalgamation of Greek, Roman, and Taíno mythology and religious beliefs, gaslighting, the colonization of Puerto Rico, Afro-Latinidad identity, and female empowerment are woven into the narrative. While the pacing lags in the middle, secondary characters aren’t fully developed, and the couple’s relationship borders on instalove, the rush of a summertime romance feels realistic. Rivera’s complex world is well realized, and the dialogue rings true. All protagonists are Latinx.
This fresh reworking of a Greek myth will resonate. (Fabulism. 14-adult)Pub Date: Sept. 15, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-5476-0373-2
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Review Posted Online: June 24, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2020
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