At first, I was bored to tears. That’s why it took me so long to read it! I pushed through and I’m glad I did. Once, it picked up I couldn’t wait to read what happened next. The literal black boy magic to the multiple mysteries needing to be solved regarding both MCs background/story. I needed to know how it ended and the author low key left me on a cliffhanger. I want to know the whole truth!!! Why didn’t you tell us?!

Character development was great for both MCs. I really got a feel for their personalities, emotions, and relationships with others. The supporting characters Pam and Sunny were funny. Max provided a sweet spot in all the chaos. I enjoyed their commentary throughout the novel.

I was provided the ARC of this novel via Net Galley by Simon & Schuster. My apologies for the late review. Sometimes I get lost in all things books!

I like the representation and the Afro-Caribbean themes and lore, but this wasn't my favorite YA fantasy. This is absolutely an author to watch, though.

Three years ago, Eli found himself on the streets of London with no memory of his previous life. His now-best friends Max and Sunny found him and brought him to Pam, the owner of a magical sanctuary masquerading as a Jamaican takeaway. Pam trains Eli to use his magical talent, a rare gift that both allows him to heal and to pluck the magic from another person’s soul, and hires him and the other teens to run errands – many of them dangerous – for her. One of these is a mission to find Osebo’s fang, a powerful weapon that can absorb magic and kill gods. Their quest has them crossing paths with fellow teen Malcolm, who has inherited his father’s much-feared death magic, and who is searching for the means to save his mother. Together, the four teens must find the fang and put an end to the vicious killings of magical practitioners in their community. This fast-paced urban fantasy features excellent worldbuilding: even teens unfamiliar with the Caribbean folklore on which it is based will find themselves transported to a London where ghosts attend their own wakes, magic can be bartered and stolen, and a leopard god’s tooth can unmake the living and the dead.

Eli lives in urban London with his best friends Sunny and Max. He also has magical powers, and the trio lives in a magical safehouse that doubles as a Caribbean restaurant.

In the first part of the novel, Eli saves a young man who was attacked in the street, and a piece of the young man’s magic transfers to him. This is how the healing process works, but there’s something different about this bit of magic he has to navigate while working with his friends to recover a magical artifact, the fang of the leopard god Osebo.

In Part 2 of the novel, we meet Malcolm: a young man whose father is a notorious high-ranking figure in the realm of dark magic. Malcolm and his father have been estranged ever since Malcolm’s father left him to care for his mother, who has early-onset dementia.

The two young men’s paths intertwine as the novel continues, and the search for the leopard fang becomes increasingly dangerous. The farther they go in their pursuit of it, the more it becomes clear that there are family secrets and injustices to be uncovered and resolved.

We enjoyed this window into the world of Caribbean folklore, and we think students will be engaged by the high-stakes adventure these magical teens find themselves in.

The novel does include profanity.

Thank you NetGalley, Simon and Schuster Children’s Publishing, and Athenium Books for Young Readers for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are our own.

This review will be posted at https://threeheads.works/category/blog/ya-books/ on June 17, 2024.

Thank you for allowing me to read this ARC. I thought this book was pretty good, as someone who reads a lot of diverse YA fantasy I think it was a decent read. I wish the book was more fleshed out but for the most part it was entertaining.

Oh my gosh! This story was SO much fun. I really loved the writing and the characters were great. This story had a good balance and while some parts I expected it still didn't take away from the story as a whole. I would highly recommend it. Keeping my review short to avoid spoilers!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC of this novel. 3.5/5 stars

Technically I finished this a few days ago and forgot to post this review. Overall, I liked it? I liked the different story lines and the urban London setting...but so much of it was also just meh. The characters didn't feel well developed, the plot was somewhat chaotic and then rushed, the magic wasn't well explained (there are old gods??). I know it's set up to be a series (I think), but it just lacked in a lot of areas. I found myself reading to finish it rather than reading because I wanted to.

It's not terrible, though. The representation is good...just....the writing needs refinement.

This was such a good story! As a lover of magic & most things fantasy, just leave me here for a little while.

This story kept me on my toes, & although some parts were a little predictable this story was still so very enjoyable!!!

I need MORE!!

A thrilling coming of age story featuring found family, learning how to use magic, and coming to terms with who you are and your past. I loved the characters, cried with them, l;aughed with them, was thrilled when they learned new skills and how to use their gifts. Their story was heartfelt, emotional, all the feels. I loved it.

If you like the "found family" trope, you will love this book - the love binding these kids who have found each other is all encompassing and heartwarming. Eli has no memory of where he came from, but his friends Sunny and Max are always there for him. Their mission in this Afro Caribbean-inspired YA fantasy is to track down the fant of Osebo, and along the way they meet Malcolm, whose powerful father uses him for his magic.

The goal, to save the world from the Daughter of Death, means all the kids need to summon every resource they have, and their friendship, in order to prevent this catastrophe. This is a quick read, and there are enough unresolved bits that I am hoping for the next book to keep reading about this group.

Thank you Netgalley and Atheneum Books for Young Readers for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

"The King of Dead Things" by Nevin Holness is a very unique urban fantasy that blends Afro-Caribbean folklore with a modern-day London setting. I don’t have much experience reading books about Afro-Caribbean folklore, but I absolutely fell in love with the folklore depicted in the book. I think I was able to connect with it and enjoy it more because the book was focused on a modern-day setting. Filled with charming characters and a rich tapestry of magical elements, this book immerses you in a world where ancient legends and contemporary struggles collide.

At the heart of the story is Eli, a teenager with mysterious healing abilities and a missing past. Alongside his loyal friends Sunny and Max, Eli embarks on a dangerous quest to retrieve the fang of Osebo, a powerful weapon capable of draining magic. Their journey intertwines with Malcolm, the son of the duppy king, who harbors his own secrets and desperate motives.

Holness expertly crafts a diverse cast of characters, each with their own complexities and motivations. The themes of found family and friendship resonate throughout the narrative, adding depth and emotional resonance to the story. I absolutely love the found family troupe, and Holness did not disappoint when both creating the characters themselves and by creating the relationships that developed naturally between them. The character writing is definitely one of the strong points in the book. Also, as stated earlier, the inclusion of Afro-Caribbean folklore adds a unique and compelling layer to the world-building, enriching the narrative with vibrant cultural elements. I have definitely never read a book like this one before, and I just fell in love with the plot, the setting, and the magic shown throughout the book.

The book also has a fast-paced plot that keeps you on the edge of your seats. There is appropriately developed tension that builds steadily as the characters race against time to prevent a looming threat. This is a book I read in just a few hours as I couldn’t find myself able to put the book down. I did find the ending to feel a bit rushed with some plot threats being unresolved, but Holness was clearly setting up for a sequel so I guess I just have to wait until that is released in order to have all my questions answered.

Overall, "The King of Dead Things" is a very imaginative and well-written debut that will appeal to fans of urban fantasy and supernatural fiction. I definitely can’t wait to read more from Holness, and this is a book I would recommend to be added to classrooms wanting more diversity in the folklore/culture represented within YA books.

Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to read King of Dead Things in exchange for a honest review.

And honestly, I loved King of Dead Things. The novel follows Eli and Malcolm, two Afro-Caribbeans living in London under two troubling circumstances. However, along with their friends Sunny and Max, the two figure out how to save the world, London, and most importantly, themselves from Death's daughter.

I loved everything about this book from the characters to the inclusion of Afro-Carib folklore. The pacing was great with the perfect amount of tension. As an avid series reader I also appreciated that a few strings were left untied so the reader can anticipate the next installment in this universe.

While I enjoyed the use of Afro-Caribbean mythologies and folklore, I wish that this story packed a little more of a punch. I felt like the different threads of this story were weaving into a really interesting climax but then the pinnacle of the story fell flat for me in terms of intensity and believability.
I did like that this was a super fast-paced read, with really interesting magic and magic systems. I though the idea of different "types" was a really cool spin on magic, and I really enjoyed that there's really not a romance angle to this story. I'm not a romance sub-plot/main plot fan, so this was really cool. While I think that the audience of this book is mainly aimed at middle and early high-school, adults (like myself) would definitely enjoy this, too.

I enjoyed the Afro-Caribbean folklore. Other than that, the story isn’t bad or amazing. It’s ok. I wasn’t super into the journey and considered dnfing a couple times.

The biggest disappointment is that the plot builds up the threat to be so big and bad, yet the main face off ends in her defeat pretty easily. After talking about her being so powerful and dangerous, the “battle” wasn’t convincing.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced eARC.

Eli has lost his memory; from a point in time a few months back, he remembers nothing. But he found a place to live, and a way to make money. The problem is, the way he makes money is to steal little bits of magic from people who cross his path - and this time, Malcolm, the person he took the magic from noticed. This leads Eli and his friends into a quest to keep the Daughter of Death from being released from the prison that Malcolm's estranged father placed her in decades before.

This is a fast-paced, quick read, with an interesting take on magic. Magic comes in types, and Eli's is unusual and rare; so is Malcolm's, but his is known to his father, who exploits it. This novel is based on the interrelationships between a group of teens who left home for one reason or another, and who all found themselves in the same safe place. There's no romance, but bonds of friendship abound, and guide the various characters' interactions. Recommended for middle school to adult.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.