She fights, plots, even murders enemies, but she must also navigate her relationship with her complex family (human, Faerie, and mixed). Fierce and observant Jude is utterly unaware of the currents that swirl around her. 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. Brought up among the Gentry, Jude has never felt at ease, but after a decade, Faerie has become her home despite the constant peril. 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. Jude-broken, rebuilt, fueled by anger and a sense of powerlessness-has never recovered from watching her adoptive Faerie father murder her parents. With a happily-ever-after reminiscent of beloved fairy tales, this is a great pick for voracious readers who like their bejeweled princesses to have hard edges.īlack is back with another dark tale of Faerie, this one set in Faerie and launching a new trilogy. Alaka, the otherworldly Kingdom of Desire where the tournament takes place, is full of wondrous creatures and deities from Indian mythologies, all representative of lessons the protagonists need to learn as they complete their Herculean tasks. In many respects the book reads like nested fables. Their relationship relies heavily on witty banter punctuated by imminent peril that is designed to draw them closer together.
The two human contestants-Vikram, the puppet prince of Ujijain, and Gauri, the exiled princess of Bharata-make an unlikely pair. At other times, the prose is exceedingly allegorical and overwrought. It is here that the worldbuilding is most nuanced and deftly woven.
Her subplot is a beautiful exploration of vengeance and healing.
The most compelling of the characters is Aasha, a vishakanya curious about the human life she left behind when she received the Blessing and became a poisonous courtesan. Set in the same Indian-inflected fantasy world as The Star-Touched Queen (2016), Chokshi's sophomore effort examines fear, desire, and ambition as three protagonists compete in the Tournament of Wishes.
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