Riveting, time-looping fun.
A 17-year-old girl is stuck in a time loop in a secondary fantasy world.
It’s the kingdom of Ivarea’s 400th Anniversary Ball, and Anaïs is supposed to find a husband from a prominent house to elevate her family’s status. But as a Proensan nobody, Anaïs has been shunned by every eligible bachelor, although infamous Infante Leopoldo Cardona seems surprisingly interested. Then midnight strikes, an explosion leads to untold destruction, and Anaïs dies...only to wake up unharmed in her bedroom earlier that same day, believing it was all a dream—but when midnight comes, it all happens repeatedly. As the only one who ever remembers the tragic events that seem destined to take place, Anaïs works tirelessly to figure out who is behind the attack and how to prevent it while reliving that terrible day countless times. But the more she investigates, the more she uncovers the hidden truth about her kingdom’s magic and its history—as well as about Leo, who has more to him than his wayward facade suggests. Shahnaz’s gripping debut is a twisty story in a fantasy setting in which the names, physical descriptions, and language point to a Spanish-inspired background. While the romantic storyline is underdeveloped, the overall story progresses carefully, slowly unveiling a plot full of courtly intrigue with a determined lead character whose personal agency is the focus.
Riveting, time-looping fun. (map) (Fantasy. 14-18)Pub Date: March 14, 2023
ISBN: 978-0-593-56755-5
Page Count: 448
Publisher: Delacorte
Review Posted Online: Dec. 13, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2023
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
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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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