by P.C. Cast & Kristin Cast ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 1, 2025
A creative but meandering duology closer that leaves too many loose ends.
Picking up where she left off in Draw Down the Moon (2024), Wren sets off on a quest with two friends, trying to prove her innocence and reveal the true source of evil on Moon Isle.
On the same night her best friend was killed, Wren Nightingale barely escaped Academia de la Luna with her faithful Air Elemental. She was accused of being changed by “evil Magicks,” and now she’s deemed a traitor and a murderer by Celeste, the Lunar Council’s manipulative leader. Worse, Lee Young, her most trusted friend and the boy she loves, is standing with Celeste. Wren embarks on a journey through the Realm of Elementals with her friends, Lily Weatherford (a wealthy Leo moon whose power lies in understanding and shaping others’ emotions) and Ruby Nakamura (a nonbinary Scorpio moon who’s “super strong” and “super fast”), along with her Elemental, Viento, who’s tried to protect her since her first day on Moon Isle. Wren’s friends’ belief in and willingness to help her, despite rumors spread by those in power, ground the book’s themes of loyalty and standing up against evil. Told in Wren’s and Lee’s alternating first-person points of view, this slow-moving story with limited emotional depth and an incomplete ending takes the form of an archetypal hero’s journey, with plenty of obstacles and several unexpected helpers. The earlier volume established Wren as white and Lee as Black.
A creative but meandering duology closer that leaves too many loose ends. (Fantasy. 12-18)Pub Date: April 1, 2025
ISBN: 9781250865182
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Wednesday Books
Review Posted Online: Dec. 28, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2025
Share your opinion of this book
More by P.C. Cast
BOOK REVIEW
by P.C. Cast & Kristin Cast
BOOK REVIEW
by P.C. Cast & Kristin Cast
BOOK REVIEW
by P.C. Cast & Kristin Cast
by Lauren Roberts ‧ RELEASE DATE: Nov. 7, 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
Share your opinion of this book
More About This Book
by Holly Black ‧ RELEASE DATE: Jan. 2, 2018
Black is building a complex mythology; now is a great time to tune in.
Awards & Accolades
Likes
36
Our Verdict
GET IT
New York Times Bestseller
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
Share your opinion of this book
More In The Series
by Holly Black ; illustrated by Rovina Cai
More by Holly Black
BOOK REVIEW
by Holly Black ; illustrated by Kathleen Jennings
BOOK REVIEW
by Holly Black & Kaliis Smith ; illustrated by Ebony Glenn
BOOK REVIEW
by Holly Black
© Copyright 2025 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Hey there, book lover.
We’re glad you found a book that interests you!
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Don’t fret. We’ll find you.