Nevin Holness's outstanding YA fantasy debut, King of Dead Things, features four teens racing through the secret, magical streets of London to find a fabled weapon that can overcome an evil, ancient power.
Malcolm lives in the shadow of his estranged father, Casper King, who was once "the duppy king of North London" and "orchestrated the dead with a wave of his hand." Malcolm inherited his father's death magic, but Casper abandoned his family when Malcolm was a child and never taught the now-18-year-old how to use his abilities. Eli, who can heal others, has no memory of his life before three years ago, when Sunny found him on the street and brought him to Pam's West Indian takeaway. The restaurant exists "just outside linear time" and acts as a safehouse for members of London's small, magical community. Eli and his two best friends, Sunny and Max, make ends meet by running magical errands for Pam. The four teens' paths collide when they are sent to retrieve the fang of Osebo, the leopard god. As the teens seek the powerful relic, they learn that its ability to eat magic may be the only thing that can stop the evil force that has been "clawing souls out of hearts and feeding off people's magic."
Holness uses Afro-Caribbean mythology to create a vital and mysterious magical underside of London. Protagonists Eli and Malcolm are rooted in the Afro-Caribbean diaspora, and Holness's descriptions of their magic, community, food, and family fill the senses and strongly tie her story to cultural tradition and folklore. The King of Dead Things is an outstanding, fast-paced adventure. --Natasha Harris, freelance reviewer