This imaginative, lyrical coming-of-age story celebrates Black Girl Magic.
In this fairy-tale remix inspired by Jamaican folklore and Indigenous culture, three girls must learn to harness their power to topple a tyrant.
You, the story’s protagonist, are 6 when you first dream of the land of Xaymaca and befriend Kam and Zella, sister witches whose immense power emanates from their hair. The three of you are destined to fight the evil King who enslaved the witches’ coven, but what can you do without magic? Ten years later, that question remains as you—a Black British girl growing up in London—wrestle with insecurities, your feelings for your best friend (a boy named Baker), and your longing for acceptance by your popular white classmates. But with Kam now magicless and Zella trapped in a forest of her own hair, facing the King alone, you must make a choice: Will you run from your power or finally step into it? Told in verse and second-person prose, this story skillfully balances the whimsy of an enchanting fantasy world with a candid portrait of growing up and an incisive exploration of Black identity. Although opaque motivations at times reduce the characters to pawns of the plot, tempering the emotional impact of their actions, this rich, multilayered story begs for discussion; sophisticated readers will catch many of its nuances. Most named characters are Black; one is trans and part of a loving, on-page lesbian relationship.
This imaginative, lyrical coming-of-age story celebrates Black Girl Magic. (author’s note) (Fantasy. 14-adult)Pub Date: June 11, 2024
ISBN: 9781499816112
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Yellow Jacket
Review Posted Online: March 23, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2024
There’s not much plot here, but readers will relish the opportunity to climb inside Autumn’s head.
The finely drawn characters capture readers’ attention in this debut.
Autumn and Phineas, nicknamed Finny, were born a week apart; their mothers are still best friends. Growing up, Autumn and Finny were like peas in a pod despite their differences: Autumn is “quirky and odd,” while Finny is “sweet and shy and everyone like[s] him.” But in eighth grade, Autumn and Finny stop being friends due to an unexpected kiss. They drift apart and find new friends, but their friendship keeps asserting itself at parties, shared holiday gatherings and random encounters. In the summer after graduation, Autumn and Finny reconnect and are finally ready to be more than friends. But on August 8, everything changes, and Autumn has to rely on all her strength to move on. Autumn’s coming-of-age is sensitively chronicled, with a wide range of experiences and events shaping her character. Even secondary characters are well-rounded, with their own histories and motivations.
There’s not much plot here, but readers will relish the opportunity to climb inside Autumn’s head. (Fiction. 14 & up)Pub Date: April 1, 2013
ISBN: 978-1-4022-7782-5
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Review Posted Online: Feb. 12, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2013
BOOK REVIEW
SEEN & HEARD
A lackluster and sometimes disturbing mishmash of overused tropes.
The Plague has left a population divided between Elites and Ordinaries—those who have powers and those who don’t; now, an Ordinary teen fights for her life.
Paedyn Gray witnessed the king kill her father five years ago, and she’s been thieving and sleeping rough ever since, all while faking Psychic abilities. When she inadvertently saves the life of Prince Kai, she becomes embroiled in the Purging Trials, a competition to commemorate the sickness that killed most of the kingdom’s Ordinaries. Kai’s duties as the future Enforcer include eradicating any remaining Ordinaries, and these Trials are his chance to prove that he’s internalized his brutal training. But Kai can’t help but find Pae’s blue eyes, silver hair, and unabashed attitude enchanting. She likewise struggles to resist his stormy gray eyes, dark hair, and rakish behavior, even as they’re pitted against each other in the Trials and by the king himself. Scenes and concepts that are strongly reminiscent of the Hunger Games fall flat: They aren’t bolstered by the original’s heart or worldbuilding logic that would have justified a few extreme story elements. Illogical leaps and inconsistent characterizations abound, with lighthearted romantic interludes juxtaposed against genocide, child abuse, and sadism. These elements, which are not sufficiently addressed, combined with the use of ableist language, cannot be erased by any amount of romantic banter. Main characters are cued white; the supporting cast has some brown-skinned characters.
A lackluster and sometimes disturbing mishmash of overused tropes. (map) (Fantasy. 14-18)Pub Date: Nov. 7, 2023
ISBN: 9798987380406
Page Count: 538
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Sept. 9, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2023
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