A dark and compelling story hampered by uneven worldbuilding.
An elite monster fighter accepts a dangerous quest in this stand-alone companion to Monsters Born and Made (2022).
Krescent “Kress” Dune dreams of leaving the colonized island of Kar Atish, where she leads a brutal life of fighting in the monster pits. The oppressive Collector, leader of the Landers who control the island, mine zargunine, a valuable “alloy of an unknown substance mixed with gold,” and they’ve made the local people Renters, forced to pay to live on their own land. Orphaned Kress knows she’ll only find freedom elsewhere, though that will mean leaving childhood friend Rivan. Desperate, she accepts the offer to guard an expedition to rescue lost miners deep underground in exchange for her freedom. In the dark, labyrinthine passages filled with deadly monsters, Kress uncovers long-buried secrets that affect all the islanders. The book’s creatures and mythology are intriguing and original, but their incorporation into the story is haphazard, resulting in jarring, intrusive exposition. The Landers’ subjugation of Kar Atish and their stripping of its resources are brutally depicted but lack nuance. Although Kress’ narration is overly dramatic, some amusing moments help offset frustration over the slowness of her romantic and emotional breakthroughs, which are frequently interrupted. Still, the plot twists are mind-blowingly enticing and will tempt readers to pick up future stories set in this world. Kress and most cast members have brown skin; the Landers are fantasy white.
A dark and compelling story hampered by uneven worldbuilding. (Fantasy. 14-18)Pub Date: Jan. 9, 2024
ISBN: 9781728247656
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Review Posted Online: Oct. 21, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2023
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
A descriptive and atmospheric paranormal social thriller that could be a bit tighter.
After a Nigerian British girl goes off to an exclusive boarding school that seems to prey on less-privileged students, she discovers there might be some truth behind an urban legend.
Ife Adebola joins the Urban Achievers scholarship program at pricey, high-pressure Nithercott School, arriving shortly after a student called Leon mysteriously disappeared. Gossip says he’s a victim of the glowing-eyed Changing Man who targets the lonely, leaving them changed. Ife doesn’t believe in the myth, but amid the stresses of Nithercott’s competitive, privileged, majority-white environment, where she is constantly reminded of her state school background, she does miss her friends and family. When Malika, a fellow Black scholarship student, disappears and then returns, acting strangely devoid of personality, Ife worries the Changing Man is real—and that she’s next. Ife joins forces with classmate Bijal and Benny, Leon’s younger brother, to uncover the truth about who the Changing Man is and what he wants. Culminating in a detailed, gory, and extended climactic battle, this verbose thriller tempts readers with a nefarious mystery involving racial and class-based violence but never quite lives up to its potential and peters out thematically by its explosive finale. However, this debut offers highly visually evocative and eerie descriptions of characters and events and will appeal to fans of creature horror, social commentary, and dark academia.
A descriptive and atmospheric paranormal social thriller that could be a bit tighter. (Thriller. 14-18)Pub Date: Sept. 26, 2023
ISBN: 9781250868138
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Review Posted Online: June 8, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2023
BOOK REVIEW
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