Review by Booklist Review
Mae has only ever known one home, on an island owned by the privileged Prosper family. When her father, the steward, died 10 years ago, Lord Prosper offered Mae a home until she came of age. She hopes to stay longer and to learn aether magic from Lord Prosper and his son, Miles. When Miles' mother offers her a wedding proposal at the First Night party, she dreams of a happy life with Miles, only to find out she's destined for his sour older brother, Ivo. Adding to the stress of the day, the magical spirits that the Prospers have harnessed for the aether magic that powers the island have been repeatedly attacked and destroyed. And there are whispers among the other Prosper siblings: Is Ivo to blame for the damaged spirits? Cohoe's sophomore novel (A Golden Fury, 2020) has a steampunk feel and is filled with magic, romance, secrets, and lies. Though the story takes place over a single day, it takes some time to get going. Buy for larger collections.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Employing a fittingly whirlwind pace, Cohoe (A Golden Fury) retells The Tempest with glints of The Great Gatsby. Eighteen-year-old Mae has lived all her life in the private island mansion of the magician Lord Prosper, who has bound spirits with "shimmering, translucent bodies" to serve his glamorous family. Though she's found friendship with two of Lord Prosper's grandchildren--devil-may-care Coco and crush-worthy, brooding Miles--Mae's presence (her late father was the mansion's steward) is otherwise barely tolerated; she's referred to as "Mousy Mae." When the family (human characters read as white) gathers for First Night, the yearly commemoration of Lord Prosper's harnessing the island's magic, Mae's dreams of the perfect evening turn into a maelstrom of betrayals and horrors, leaving her torn between the magic she's always coveted and the realization of its cost. Epiphanies come fast and furious--the main action unfolds in 24 hours via Mae's melodramatic, self-serious narration--in a novel whose sumptuous setting alongside the careless, magical rich proffers undeniable pleasures. Ages 13--up. Agent: Bridget Smith, Jabberwocky Literary. (Feb.)
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Review by School Library Journal Review
Gr 9 Up--Known as the obedient, orphaned steward's daughter, Mae has dreamed all her life of training as a magician on the Prospers' island, center of all aether magic and home of docile spirits who serve the Prosper family. Readers will grip onto the thread of mystery 18-year-old Mae discovers after witnessing a dying spirit and the turbulent revelations about the influential Prosper family, their magic, and the price of Mae's own dreams. The narrative, set in a sparkling Roaring Twenties aesthetic, takes place over a day and a night, leaving readers with much family drama to absorb as they follow Mae into the darkness behind the Prospers's prestige. Personal ambitions define every character in this fast-paced, dialogue-heavy fantasy, but readers' understanding of the backstories--and seemingly precipitous consequences--of these desires are limited by Mae's first-person narration. Declarations, rather than explorations, of character, emerge from Mae's conversations and internal thoughts, as she waffles among her longing to belong, be free, or feel worthy, depending on the person with whom she interacts. Romance and tests of friendship emerge amid themes of free will, colonization, power, and self-knowledge, an unbalanced meld that weighs on the characters' decisions and thrilling conclusion. VERDICT This dizzying struggle over power, magic, and dreams will sink readers into this fantasy's web of ambition and family tension. A strong choice for libraries serving teens.--Rachel Mulligan, Westampton, NJ
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Review by Kirkus Book Review
On Lord Prosper's island the very air pulsates with magic. His beautiful, ruthless descendants are provided for by the grace of a magical substance known as aether. But their servants, the island's captive spirits, are beginning to mysteriously sicken and die off. "Mousy Mae" Wilson stands as an outsider. The orphaned daughter of Prosper's old friend who will be in exile on her 18th birthday, Mae loves, fears, and desires the family and the land she's always called home and is anxious about leaving it. That is, until the legendary once-a-year party known as First Night, during which outsiders arrive on the island. Mae is suddenly thrust into a surprise engagement to strange, sullen Ivo, Prosper's grandson and the heir to his magic. Cohoe's prose moves at a clip through a night packed with intrigue. Mae's shifting stance in relation to the family as their confidant, enemy, and friend develops alongside the intricate, fascinating system of dangerous magic. The real mystery is who Mae herself will become as she climbs the social ladder into the glorious world of power and secrets she's long observed from a distance. Will she grow to be an intrepid schemer who is the equal of any Prosper? Fans of Shakespeare's The Tempest will find much to enjoy, as will readers eager for a luxurious--but not escapist--1920s period piece. Characters read as White. An intriguing story about the rot that lies beneath splendor. (family tree) (Fantasy. 13-18) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
