The game’s afoot, if not the sleuth, and tongue-in-cheek elements lighten a weighty thematic load.
A cry for help draws a hurting, antisocial monster out of her den to investigate an ugly conspiracy in this third episode in the Brindlewatch Quintet.
Much of the fun comes from trying to figure out what Sable, Beiko’s mute, non-hearing protagonist, looks like. Slyly supplying only glimpses of both hair and scales, arms (but no legs), a powerful tail, an unruly second mouth, a cracked magic gem in her forehead, and other tantalizing descriptive details, the author pries Sable out of her bookish seclusion to search for Kepler, a beloved but alienated amphibicreature who has gone missing after moving to Ferren City, where friction between multiform monstros and human Brindles is rising. Burgeoning tensions and threats of cultural theft aren’t all that roil beneath the surface of ensuing events, but they do ultimately play a significant role in explaining where Kepler and other suddenly absent monstros have gone. Part toothy predator, part emotionally vulnerable loner, the eminently relatable sleuth finds allies both loyal and treacherous while getting handles on both her own story and an unruly, ingeniously unconventional magical power as she signs, lip-reads, and slithers her way to a thoroughly satisfying denouement. As in previous episodes, the cast members are racially diverse, and gender identity is a matter of accepted choice.
The game’s afoot, if not the sleuth, and tongue-in-cheek elements lighten a weighty thematic load. (Fantasy. 13-18)Pub Date: June 30, 2026
ISBN: 9781770416970
Page Count: 340
Publisher: ECW Press
Review Posted Online: March 23, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2026
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Both entertaining and well-written; demands and holds readers’ attention.
A duology opener that revisits the world of Divergent (2011).
Beatrice “Tris” Prior is Divergent. But before she can select Dauntless, her Choosing Ceremony is interrupted by a group of factionless rebels, and her good friend is killed. Amid the chaos, Tris sees Evelyn, the wife of Abnegation leader Marcus Eaton—but Evelyn supposedly died years ago. And, shockingly, she’s an Amity woman who’s holding a gun. Tris doesn’t tell anyone, even her father, when he later questions her. Her brother, Caleb, chooses Erudite—the faction that’s most critical toward the Abnegation and their practices—and Tris feels pressured to stay in Abnegation. But when her father tries to erase her memories, she knows she’s unsafe. Tris’ mother helps her escape to the factionless, where Tris meets Four, a Dauntless boy. Their relationship shows her that she was right to leave Abnegation—and that maybe the rebels are correct to want the death of the faction system. As Tris becomes friends with the other “faction failures,” she realizes that no faction is as it seems, and that power is a corrupting influence they can’t escape. This exciting work revisits beloved characters, offering a new understanding of them and of what happens when we stand up and ask questions. Returning fans and those new to this world will appreciate the witty banter, slow-burn romance, and heartache stemming from betrayal and complicated familial love. The leads are cued white.
Both entertaining and well-written; demands and holds readers’ attention. (Dystopian. 13-18)Pub Date: Oct. 6, 2026
ISBN: 9780063462595
Page Count: 528
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Oct. 1, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2026
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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