Lazear’s fans have a high tolerance for convoluted nomenclature; anyone else will have given up on this series long ago.
Set in both Victorian-era Los Angeles and the Otherworld, Noli’s adventures among the Fae continue.
Minimal recap reminds readers that years earlier, Noli’s father had disappeared in San Francisco and that Noli spent the last book aboard the pirate steam-powered airship owned by her brother and his fiancee. Noli continues her romance with V, also called Steven and, in the Otherworld, Stiofán. When V’s little sister Elise, also called Ailís, escapes from pursuers into the Otherworld, the dark king, Ciarán, also called Kyran, enemy of the “earth court,” takes her in. There, she meets Aodhan, the little son of Creidmeamh, dead sister of the hunter Kevighn, who unites with Ciarán. While searching for Elise, Noli gets into a battle with V’s uncle, earth king Brogan, with unexpected results that Noli must learn to live with. Lazear’s imagination continues to bubble, creating a charming and dangerous fantasy world as well as an intriguing alternate-history mortal world with her steampunk version of Los Angeles. That creative vision helps the book overcome pedestrian writing and standard plotting. The book’s minimal action is interrupted by numerous and lengthy episodes of domestic chitchat and bickering. Noli and V, in fact, spend much of the book at odds, despite their undying love for each other. Major plot points, such as reassembling the fateful Staff of Eris, await resolution in another sequel.
Lazear’s fans have a high tolerance for convoluted nomenclature; anyone else will have given up on this series long ago. (Fantasy. 14-18)Pub Date: Aug. 8, 2014
ISBN: 978-0-7387-3986-1
Page Count: 456
Publisher: Flux
Review Posted Online: June 9, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2014
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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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