When the officer slams her brother to the ground, Lolo’s powers manifest for the first time. Smart, quiet 14-year-old Loretta “Lolo” Wright struggles to stand up for herself until, on what should be a routine trip to a convenience store, her 16-year-old brother, James, is mistakenly accused of stealing by the police. Grammy Award–winning artist Keys co-authors a YA superhero graphic novel bearing the title of her hit song. 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.īlack is building a complex mythology now is a great time to tune in. 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. YA)īlack is back with another dark tale of Faerie, this one set in Faerie and launching a new trilogy. Despite the unsuccessful romantic element, overall it’s a well-reasoned, creepily possible first novel. Though his obsessive love rings true and the possibility exists that he moves beyond his damaging mindset, the author’s hand is all too evident.

However, Oscar’s attempts to rescue Nia quickly move from romantic to disturbing and seem to reinforce an unfortunately stereotypical and dated sense of romance: Women must be forcibly wooed by men who know better. A nicely paced plot keeps the narrative moving and successfully builds tension. Bachorz’s premise causes a momentary chill: Given music’s ubiquitous presence today, readers can easily wonder if there’s a message lurking in every melody. After falling in love with new arrival Nia, Oscar weighs his perfect persona against Nia’s survival, watching as she falls victim to Candor’s illusion of perfection.

For teenagers who have the money and the motivation to escape from Candor, Oscar offers his own rebellious subliminal messages.

(a planned community not unlike Disney’s Celebration), and Oscar Banks’s father decides that message through mind-controlling music.

Candor by Pam Bachorz