A fast-paced race to a satisfying, winning end.
Six witches get caught up in the excitement and danger of illegal broom racing in an alternate historical Mississippi.
In a world where children with magic are taken to the colonizing government’s schools, sisters Mattie and Emma are drawn to broom racing’s potential to help support their family and save themselves. Luella, whose magic was bound by the government after an incident in the residential school she was forced to attend, is their teacher and guide. Their team, the Night Storms, includes Billie Mae and Loretta, who read Black, and Cheng Kwan, who is transgender. They fight discrimination and overcome sabotage to win their races and their freedom. The author’s note describes the cast’s identities: Mattie and Emma are Choctaw and Black, Luella is Mexican and Choctaw, Chinese American Cheng Kwan speaks Cantonese, and Loretta, who uses a leg brace, has had a stroke. Emma, who is deaf, uses sign language and some lip-reading. This range in representation accurately highlights the broadly diverse experiences of folks in the South. There are also loving and intentionally presented queer relationships and experiences, highlighting the fact that there has always been and will always be room for queer folks in our communities. DuVall’s beautiful art is clean and luminous but so understated that it’s hard at times to follow the setting and characters through the panels. A scrapbook-style epilogue showing the witches’ futures is heartwarming and uplifting, however.
A fast-paced race to a satisfying, winning end. (Graphic fantasy. 13-18)Pub Date: Oct. 10, 2023
ISBN: 9781646142675
Page Count: 240
Publisher: Levine Querido
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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