Dark and captivating, packed with magic, mystery, and danger that will leave readers wanting more.
In Leto’s YA fantasy novel, a young man in a world caught in a battle between Light and Darkness uncovers secrets that force him to question himself and the world around him.
On Prince Edmund of Agnar’s 17th birthday, his weapons instructor, Slade, gifts him a forbidden book containing an iron key. The key unlocks a secret library, where Edmund learns more about his connection to the Darkness; he is its vessel, and has only a year to find the vessel of Light before the world is destroyed. When Edmund’s home is attacked by the Dorcada, servants of Darkness, they release the goddess of Darkness, Levitha, from his soul (“I have become one with the Darkness”). After gaining control of Edmund, Levitha causes chaos and destruction until Slade rescues him from her command. Slade then reveals that he is part of the Katori, a group of shamans serving the god of Light, Cedrwyn, and that he has been protecting Edmund from the Darkness. They travel toward the town of Lyra in search of Cedrwyn’s vessel. In Lyra, Edmund meets Rayne and her sister, Sayen, who is believed to be the vessel of Light. Edmund learns more about the history between Cedrwyn and Levitha while trying to keep the Darkness from consuming him. When the rebellious Lyra comes under attack, Edmund is forced to face his brother and rival, Magnus, and the Envicta, the king’s prestigious knights. Leto’s tale deftly balances personal conflicts with larger threats, affording Edmund multiple opportunities for character development. There are several baffling moments, as when a character whom readers presume to be dead returns to the living, or when characters pursue puzzlingly trivial tasks, such as creating a fire while gravely injured. Such moments occasionally weaken the story’s urgency and slow the pacing, but the complex worldbuilding and intriguing magical abilities keep the narrative compelling.
Dark and captivating, packed with magic, mystery, and danger that will leave readers wanting more.Pub Date: tomorrow
ISBN: 9781965422175
Page Count: 396
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: Oct. 19, 2026
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
An ode to the children of migrants who have been taken away.
A Mexican American boy takes on heavy responsibilities when his family is torn apart.
Mateo’s life is turned upside down the day U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents show up unsuccessfully seeking his Pa at his New York City bodega. The Garcias live in fear until the day both parents are picked up; his Pa is taken to jail and his Ma to a detention center. The adults around Mateo offer support to him and his 7-year-old sister, Sophie, however, he knows he is now responsible for caring for her and the bodega as well as trying to survive junior year—that is, if he wants to fulfill his dream to enter the drama program at the Tisch School of the Arts and become an actor. Mateo’s relationships with his friends Kimmie and Adam (a potential love interest) also suffer repercussions as he keeps his situation a secret. Kimmie is half Korean (her other half is unspecified) and Adam is Italian American; Mateo feels disconnected from them, less American, and with worries they can’t understand. He talks himself out of choosing a safer course of action, a decision that deepens the story. Mateo’s self-awareness and inner monologue at times make him seem older than 16, and, with significant turmoil in the main plot, some side elements feel underdeveloped. Aleman’s narrative joins the ranks of heart-wrenching stories of migrant families who have been separated.
An ode to the children of migrants who have been taken away. (Fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: May 4, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-7595-5605-8
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: Feb. 22, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2021
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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
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