(2) YA In a magical land where anger grows like an egg inside certain people until it bursts into a destructive curse, quick-tempered Kellen has a special talent: through persistent sleuthing and his own lively intuition, he can "unravel" the anger and undo the curse. Nettle, who was a heron before Kellen unraveled her stepmother's curse and restored her humanity, is Kellen's opposite, reserved to a fault and inclined to think twice before acting. The teens are bailed out of jail by dangerous-seeming marsh horseman Gall, which sets off a cascade of adventures. Gall's employer wants them to investigate the Red Hospital where cursers are held captive; when they find that one of the cursers has been replaced by an innocent person, it's off to the spirit-infested Wilds to follow one clue after another. As revelation builds upon revelation, Kellen and Nettle are drawn in both by their own curiosity and by what appears to be a conspiracy: someone is gathering cursers and turning their spite against political targets, and Gall's shadowy employer seems to be in their crosshairs. Hardinge (A Skinful of Shadows, rev. 1/18; Deeplight, rev. 3/20) creates a top-notch fantasy with a fresh setting populated by original monsters (Bookbearers, Gladelords, Dancing Stars) and the feel of old folktales. But it's Kellen's wild charisma and Nettle's extreme interiority that will beguile readers, even as the tale's air of mystery continuously deepens.

Reviewer: Anita L. Burkam | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2023

(1) YA Illustrated by Emily Gravett. Milo's father has a vital role to play on the island of Merlank: he's the Ferryman, responsible for transporting the Dead to a place where their spirits are free to depart, no longer hampered by Merlank's clingy mist. Otherwise, the Dead would linger, blighting the land and killing others with their fatal gaze. Thus, when the grieving Lord of Merlank causes Milo's father's death, Milo must become the Ferryman and sail the Evening Mare, despite what his father always deemed the dangers of Milo's sympathetic, imaginative spirit. Don't listen to them; don't look at them, was his father's self-protective way with the Dead. But when the Lord's daughter writes a poem on the deck, desperate for her words to go on living despite her early demise, Milo realizes that listening, recording, and sharing can also be part of the Ferryman's job. Gravett's spectacularly misty, atmospheric illustrations, all in shades of indigo, heighten what is most elusive and poignant about Hardinge's story -- the sorrow of endings, the significance of last messages, and the inexorability of mortality. Hardinge's own poetic language (most clearly visible in the girl's poem: "The gnats sing the sun to sleep / Over the lake the air cools / Twinned birds fly through two pink skies") brings multiple shimmering layers to both plot and imagery in this melancholic, fantastical tale.

Reviewer: Deirdre F. Baker | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2024

(2) YA "Human fear has a terrible power," a wise old man tells protagonist Hark. "It changes everything, distorts everything, maddens everything. It is the dark womb where monsters are born and thrive." This explicit (and politically edged) lesson drives the plot of Hardinge's fantasy/horror/action novel, but as one might expect from the author's bounteous imagination (The Lie Tree, rev. 5/16; A Skinful of Shadows, rev. 1/18), it's embedded in a tale of a strange realm. In Hark's island world, the Undersea gods had destroyed one another decades ago. But while diving into the water to rescue his drowning friend, Jelt, Hark discovers the still-beating heart of one of the old deities. The heart keeps Jelt alive--but it also changes him, transforming his already domineering nature into something monstrous and murderous. Caught between Jelt's demands and what he's learned of the gods, Hark must find a way to leave his old allegiances behind, even as he dodges multiple contests for power--rapacious smugglers, a religious sect aiming to resurrect the old gods, and a monastery of cast-aside monks. Rather cumbersome in plot, the story nevertheless provides a great many features of interest: the Undersea's breathable water; sign language as a common parlance (since so many of the island's aquanauts are deaf).

Reviewer: Deirdre F. Baker | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2020

(2) YA Caverna, an underground city, thrives through production of magical consciousness-influencing luxuries--mind-altering cheeses, wines that erase memories--perhaps making up for the inhabitants' shared disability: they're incapable of making facial expressions naturally. Into Caverna's artificial court lands apprentice cheese-maker Neverfell, whose unique facial mobility and transparent feelings are so dangerous she must wear a mask. Hardinge's imagination here is--as ever--ebullient, lavish, and original.

Reviewer: Deirdre F. Baker | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2017

(1) YA In this fantasy set during the 1600s English Civil War, orphaned Makepeace is sent to live with her aristocratic Fellmotte family relations. When her half-brother (and only friend) runs away and is then made an unwilling vessel for the spirits of their dead Elders, Makepeace (who shares this ability) sets off to rescue him. Makepeace is a resourceful, brave, and intelligent protagonist, and Hardinge's prose is unfailingly original and invigorating.

Reviewer: Martha V. Parravano | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2018

(1) YA Everything in this audacious novel is on the cusp or in limbo, setting up delicious tensions and thematic riches. The time is nineteenth-century England; the setting is a fictional island; the main character is a fourteen-year-old girl caught between society's expectations and her fierce desire to be a scientist. Hardinge maintains masterful control of the whole complex construct. A stunner.

Reviewer: Martha V. Parravano | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2016

(2) 4-6 Eleven-year-old Triss Crescent wakes up confused after a terrifying accident. Her memories don't feel like her own, and ravenous hunger devours all self-control. Seeking the explanation for her bizarre circumstances, Triss (with little sister Pen) uncovers a grotesque magical world existing in the shadows of her own 1920s town. This sophisticated, disturbing tale shivers with suspense and touching moments of bravery.

Reviewer: Sarah Berman | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2015

(2) 4-6 Mosca Mye and Eponymous Clent (Fly by Night) find themselves in Toll, a curious town with separate societies--one diurnal, the other nocturnal. Hardinge's labyrinthine plotting includes villains old and new, kidnappings, double-crosses, and numerous reversals of fortune. Leisurely pacing allows the author to plant various clues and red herrings, flesh out characters, and bring the setting vividly to life.

Reviewer: Jonathan Hunt | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2011

(1) YA Hathin is a conscientious caretaker of her sister Arilou, one of the Lost--those whose senses are "loosely tethered" to their bodies. After inspectors arrive to test Arilou's gift, the siblings are launched on a trek that changes their world. In this many-layered, richly rewarding story, poetic language and closely observed setting are well matched by the lively exploration of political themes.

Reviewer: Deirdre F. Baker | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2009

(1) 4-6 In this deliciously creepy tale, three children fall under the power of an elemental divinity after stealing coins from a wishing well. To repay their debt, they must fulfill the wishes of people whose coins they took. There is a vividness and energy to Hardinge's imagination that makes almost every moment of this absorbing story shine with light or glossy darkness.

Reviewer: Deirdre F. Baker | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2008

(3) 4-6 Mosca Mye's ability to read sets her apart in an imaginary eighteenth-century realm where books and knowledge are tightly controlled. After rescuing captured con man and fellow wordsmith Eponymous Clent, she follows him to the capital city and becomes embroiled in revolutionary intrigue. Mosca's love of words is a powerful theme, augmenting this complex novel of schemes and secrets.

Reviewer: Beth L. Meister