Crowded and pointillistic: still readable but best for confirmed fans.
The Flare virus continues to exact a heavy price, as multiple characters discover in this sequel to Maze Cutter (2022).
In a mosaic assemblage of short or multipart chapters that series readers will tolerate without frustration, Dashner sends groups (including no fewer than seven point-of-view characters) on various quests. As Ximena heads north from her Baja village in hopes of finding her tardy mother, escapees from the island of immunes reach the coast and split up so that Sadina can get her ominously sick mom to Villa doctors. Meanwhile, Minho and others make their way to the opener’s titular ship and then on to Alaska to kill (or maybe join) the sacerdotal trio dubbed the Godhead. Meanwhile, said Godhead—Nicholas, Alexandra, and Mikhail—is down to two, as one is left as a decapitated head in a glass box, and the survivors wrestle with different flavors of creeping madness. Presaged by encounters with corpses and the odd stabbing, a horrific medical procedure, and a climactic battle with an army of diseased, zombielike Cranks, the unwieldy company is scattered and on the run: Stay tuned for more rousingly icky developments. The main cast largely reads white, with the exceptions of Ximena, Minho, and Frypan, a long-continuing character who has aged here into Old Man Frypan and was previously described as dark-skinned.
Crowded and pointillistic: still readable but best for confirmed fans. (Dystopian. 12-18)Pub Date: Nov. 14, 2023
ISBN: 9798985955224
Page Count: 272
Publisher: Akashic Media Enterprises
Review Posted Online: Aug. 26, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2023
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
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
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