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. Nick and Seth are White.īlack is back with another dark tale of Faerie, this one set in Faerie and launching a new trilogy. The discussions by both parties are frank, with Nick’s father ultimately taking responsibility for his past misconduct and Nick showing growth in understanding Gibby’s parents’ perspective. Of particular note is the tension between Nick’s cop father and the middle-class Black family of Gibby, one of Nick’s friends. Spending more time with these characters is an absolute delight the love they share and readily profess for each other, both platonic and romantic, is beautiful to witness. Of course, Nick has his own struggles, like dealing with his ADHD, massive headaches, awkward visits from a sketchy rich dude (long story), and some explosive secrets on the verge of being revealed.

Nick is proud of Seth and does everything he can to support him, including orchestrating Pyro Storm’s rebranding efforts via social media and composing hot fanfic-if Nick does say so himself. Seth’s alter ego is the superpowered Pyro Storm, who can manifest fire and spends much of his free time aiding local citizens in their fair city. Nicholas Bell has it pretty good: Though he’s only 16, he’s got a strong, positive sense of self (critical for a gay teen) in addition to a supportive dad, great friends, and an adorable boyfriend, Seth. This sequel to the superhero tale The Extraordinaries (2020) is jampacked with action, nefarious plots, romance, and puns.

Flash Fire by T.J. Klune