Bright Smoke, Cold Fire

June 1, 2016
Young lovers and enemies try to save the city in this dystopian spin on Romeo and Juliet.In a Ruined world, the Sisters of Thorn protect the lone city of Viyara with a magic wall sustained by human blood, but orphaned novice Runajo (the book's Rosaline) hopes to restore the failing barrier via lost spells from the long-sealed Sunken Library. Ruthless and tiresomely righteous, Mahyanai Runajo magically bonds with the Juliet--the Catresou's magically modified, martially trained, lethal young woman--and overcomes her qualms about necromancy and slavery in order to exploit the Juliet's unwilling obedience in a claustrophobic and combative relationship. Hapless co-narrator Catresou Paris simultaneously mind-melds with the grief-stricken Mahyanai Romeo, and the duo plunges into the chaotic, colorful Lower City, seeking to avenge the Juliet's alleged death and expose a necromancer through scary (if slapstick) misadventures. Old feuds and entrenched beliefs prove bigger obstacles than omnipresent but impermanent death--the protagonists rely on rituals even as revenants, reapers, and the reanimated clash with the remaining humans. Hodge puts secondary characters center-stage, lards the text liberally with Shakespeare quotes, and adds the undead, buckets of blood, and an impending apocalypse to create a rich, if repetitive retelling. Her worldbuilding emphasizes family over race; the Mahyanai are dark-haired and fair-skinned, while the Catresou go masked (though the Juliet is fair-skinned). A bloody and bold tale for those who want some Romero with their Romeo, but resolution awaits a sequel. (Fantasy. 12-18)

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July 1, 2016

Gr 9 Up-Borrowing loosely from Romeo and Juliet, Hodge creates a world ravaged by the Ruining, a fog that killed the living and allowed the dead to walk. Runajo, a Sister of Thorn, knows that it is the sacrifice of human blood that keeps the wall strong enough to protect the only surviving city of Viyara. Juliet Catresou is a young woman compelled by spells since birth to kill anyone who harms her kin, the mask-wearing Catresou clan. And yet she has fallen for Romeo, of the Mahyanai. When a bonding ceremony goes wrong, Paris (who was unhappily expecting to become Juliet's Guardian) and Romeo can read each other's thoughts and Juliet is in the land of the dead. The action alternates between what is happening with Runajo, who secretly brings Juliet back to the cloister, and Paris's activities with Romeo, often in the Lower City. Teens need not be Shakespeare fans to appreciate this work and will enjoy reading about magic, an underworld, and a Juliet who kicks butt. The complicated plot requires readers' attention, as three clans, invented religious elements, a variety of undead, and magic scrolls retrieved from a buried library all intertwine. VERDICT An atmospheric tale that pits loyalty to kin against loyalty to self and loyalty to loved ones, this work will appeal to the author's fans and those who can't get enough of fantastical retellings.-Maggie Knapp, Trinity Valley School, Fort Worth, TX

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