A reflective and gripping return to an imaginative world.
Now that Regent Queen Sophia is locked up, her sister, Queen Charlotte, decides to revive an ancient tradition: the Beauty Trials, a deadly competition to be the next Queen of Orléans.
This stand-alone fantasy picks up three years after the events of The Everlasting Rose (2019), with the point of view shifting from Camille to her spirited sister Edel. The Belles, who have magical arcana powers and a range of skin tones, are expected to provide beautifying services to the gray-skinned, red-eyed Gris. However, Sophia and her lackeys have little regard for the Belles, seeing them as property to be auctioned off. Having Sophia imprisoned is not enough; the next queen of Orléans should be committed to freeing the Belles from servitude and bloodletting for their arcana. When Queen Charlotte announces the Beauty Trials—a lethal contest that will allow the Goddess of Beauty to choose Sophia’s successor—Edel enters, hoping she can win and liberate the Belles. Edel is tenacious and brave, but the line between bravery and foolishness is fine. Both Camille and Edel’s love interest, Gaelle, urge her to rein in her outspoken ways and try to charm others during the competition. An intriguing relationship develops between Edel and the Trials’ Gamekeeper Quentin, tempting her into a love triangle. This atmospheric novel delves into social and political issues, although the worldbuilding feels less deliberate than in previous entries. The plot intensifies quickly, with dangerous tasks and an earthshaking twist that leaves Edel scrambling.
A reflective and gripping return to an imaginative world. (Fantasy. 12-18)Pub Date: Feb. 14, 2023
ISBN: 978-1-368-04692-3
Page Count: 352
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Review Posted Online: Nov. 15, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2022
Raw, delicate, and deeply caring.
When Death-Cast doesn’t call, fate intertwines the lives of two boys, both haunted by their pasts and with futures they can’t escape.
In this third installment of the series that opened with 2017’s They Both Die at the End, Paz Dario waits every night for Death-Cast to call—as it should have for his father nearly 10 years ago, when Paz shot him to save his mother’s life. But the call never comes. Death-Cast killed Paz’s dreams of an acting career: No one will hire him now because the world sees him as a villain. When Paz tries (not for the first time) to put an end to his suffering, an unexpected encounter with Alano Rosa, the heir of Death-Cast, stops him. Both in a place of desperation, Alano and Paz sign a contract to live for Begin Days instead of waiting for their End Days. As suspenseful and emotionally wrenching as the previous titles in the series, this new installment explores heavy themes of abuse, mental health, self-harm, and suicide. Paz grapples with a recent diagnosis of borderline personality disorder. Silvera surrounds Alano and Paz with a web of complex relationships. Although the protagonists fall fast for one another and form a deep connection over Alano’s desire to support Paz, Silvera emphasizes the importance of professional help. Both Alano and Paz have Puerto Rican heritage. The cliffhanger ending promises more to come.
Raw, delicate, and deeply caring. (content warning, resources) (Speculative fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: May 6, 2025
ISBN: 9780063240858
Page Count: 720
Publisher: Quill Tree Books/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: March 22, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2025
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
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