Nightrender by Jodi Meadows
2021; Johns Hopkins University Press; Volume: 75; Issue: 5 Linguagem: Inglês
10.1353/bcc.2022.0029
ISSN1558-6766
Autores Tópico(s)Themes in Literature Analysis
ResumoReviewed by: Nightrender by Jodi Meadows Aaren Tucker Meadows, Jodi Nightrender. Holiday House, 2022 [368p] Trade ed. ISBN 9780823448685 $19.99 E-book ed. ISBN 9780823452736 $11.99 Reviewed from digital galleys R* Gr. 9-12 While plotting against Crown Prince Rune of Caberwill, her soon-to-be husband, budding despot Crown Princess Hanne of Embria is chased by a Lovecraftian beast and trapped in a Malsite, a pocket of evil magic called malice that warps the world inside it. Desperate to save Hanne and the alliance that will unite their two kingdoms, Prince Rune secretly awakens the Nightrender, an immortal, ancient, and divine being whose sole purpose is to fight malice. However, something terrible happened 400 years ago when Nightrender was last awake, something she cannot remember that has made humans fear and despise her. With the threat of the encroaching malice and the world poised on the brink of war, all three must overcome personal difficulties if humanity is to stand any chance of survival. Told in alternating viewpoints, the narrative begins with the arrogant and duplicitous Hanne, a bold authorial choice that pays off in spades; Hanne's character and journey are fascinating, and her acerbic wit provides much of the book's humor. Meadows' writing adapts with each point-of-view character (evocative and ponderous for Nightrender, sober and straight-forward for Rune), resulting in a third-person past tense narrative with all the intimacy and immediacy of first-person present. The story itself is carefully plotted, delving into timely issues of class and power, and sprinkled with tantalizing clues for secrets yet to be revealed. The devastating cliff-hanger will leave readers eager for the second book of this dark fantasy duology. Copyright © 2021 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois
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