Blending coming-of-age fantasy, impressive subterranean worldbuilding, a sense of the mythic, and the occasional dash of Chaucerian stories-within-stories, Finch’s surprising debut is set in a world recognizable as ours—but below it, in its strangest shadows. Lucas Devlin has never been a normal teen, even though he went to a regular Aboveworld school and believed he had normal friends. But in truth he has been training for the day that he would take over the “family business”—serving as a Seeker with the Darktouched. Just after his high school graduation, he finds his life shattering into pieces when Lightborne Reclaimers find his home and take his father. Lucas is guided underground into the Abzu Complex, an otherworldly city, where he must continue his training while discovering the past of the Darktouched (they once rode great serpents) and their terrifying battle with the Lightborne.Along the way, Lucas—known as Arden, down below—finds himself facing Ancient beings, searching for an exile, and facing tense dangers and mysteries. Finch’s approach to fantasy emphasizes light and dark, underground and otherworldly explorations, and a surprising mix of science, technology, myth, multi-cultural practices, and folklore, with stories of the ancient conflict, covenants, and creatures, often shared in mythic monologues or archaic texts. Readers will appreciate the engaging tour of this strange new world as Lucas uncovers the stories of how he came to be a Darktouched, the origins of the Darktouched society itself, and where he belongs within it.
Despite the novelty of the setting, Finch creates a relatable life for Lucas, a Child of Shadow, in this world of Darknames and Abovenames, ferrybots and weird KALM gear for traveling in the dark, a long-ago “Reshaping,” and persuasively cool games and sports. As Lucas finds himself getting closer to the answers that not even the oldest living Darktouched know, he discovers that his purpose is bigger than any could imagine–but readers eager to know what will have to wait for book two.
Takeaway: Inventive YA fantasy of ancient conflicts and underground culture.
Comparable Titles: Roderick Gordon’s Tunnels, T. Kingfisher’s The Hollow Places.
Production grades
Cover: A-
Design and typography: A-
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A
Marketing copy: A
