Review by Booklist Review
There's no such thing as a deadly competition when you're already dead, but Blackwood Academy's Decennial is set up to give the best approximation of one. Two students from each academic house have paused their soul-reaping duties to participate in an unprecedented competition that will result in only one of them graduating and heading up a special task force to stop the evil Demiens from sabotaging Blackwood. To further complicate things, six of the contestants are unfortunate acquaintances tied together only by their magically sworn secrecy about the events around the arrival of Blackwood's newest student. Told through those six POVs, each of which is overtly concealing information from the reader, the story line itself is fairly straightforward, shuttling the plot along through standard magical competition milestones. The world building is both more expansive and more thorough than most competition-centric fantasy but pleasantly avoids presenting overwhelming walls of information. With a constant, well-maintained air of intrigue, this is a sure hit for those who gravitate towards high-stakes dark academia without overblown romance.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Marie's sprawling dark academia fantasy finds six students attending a school in purgatory and competing in high-stakes trials for a shot at a better afterlife. While learning to harness their magical abilities, Blackwood Academy students await grim fates: unless they're nominated to compete in the Decennial Festival, they'll eventually forget their human lives and spend eternity reaping souls in the ether of purgatory. The nominee can choose to join the academy's magical elite or cross over to the Other Side. But when dangerous forces rise up in the ether, Blackwood transforms this year's festival into a tournament designed to name an order-restoring leader. Contenders include seraphic Wren and her handsome nemesis Augustine; studious Emilio and his crush Olivier; and combative Irene and her grieving bestie Masika. Each member of the large, ambitious cast has much to prove and everything to lose--but when the game's rules change, will their loyalties follow suit? Uneven pacing deflates splashy reveals; despite somewhat lackluster worldbuilding, though, riveting action and smart banter will drive readers to the next installment of this series launching debut. Ages 14--up. Agent: Gwen Beale, United Talent. (July)
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Review by Kirkus Book Review
Trapped indefinitely in adolescence and forced to reap souls, the students of purgatory's Blackwood Academy boarding school have a once-in-a-decade opportunity to escape their fate in this debut. Wren, August, Emilio, Olivier, Irene, and Masika are "unfortunate acquaintances" nominated to compete in the Decennial Festival, which offers the opportunity to join the Ascended as school leaders or cross over to the Other Side. Either way, it's a chance to avoid eventually losing all memories and sense of self and wandering the Ether for eternity. But as the competition begins, a mysterious new student who can harness shadow magic appears. In between the Decennial contests, the classmates try to get to the bottom of this mystery, unraveling more threads along the way. Some inconsistent and anachronistic worldbuilding elements are distracting in places. This ancient institution admits students who have died anywhere in the world (their commonality is that each one had a near-death experience before their actual untimely demise), and there's racial diversity in the supporting cast. The six leads, several of whom are queer, include Wren, August, and Olivier, who present white, as well as Emilio, who's cued Latine, Irene, who has some Korean heritage, and Masika, who reads Black. The mystery at the heart of the story is compelling and will engage readers all the way up to the cliffhanger ending, which will leave them yearning for the sequel to tie up loose ends. A compelling plot compensates for issues with worldbuilding. (map)(Fantasy. 14-18) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
