King of Dead Things, Nevin Holness
King of Dead Things, Nevin Holness
List: $25.99 | Sale: $18.20
Club: $12.99

King of Dead Things

Author: Nevin Holness

Narrator: Troy Glasgow

Unabridged: 10 hr 59 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 04/16/2024


Synopsis

For fans of Legendborn, Neil Gaiman, and Leigh Bardugo, this “electrifying” (Kirkus Reviews, starred review) urban young adult fantasy steeped in Afro-Carribbean folklore follows two Black teens searching for a powerful artifact in the hidden magical side of London.

Raising the dead is easy. Living is harder.

Eli doesn’t know who he is or who he came from. Three years ago, he was found by his now-best friends, Sunny and Max, who gave him a home in a magical sanctuary doubling as a Caribbean restaurant. What Eli does know is that he can heal a wound with just a touch and pluck magic from a soul like a petal from a flower—and there is nothing he wouldn’t do to survive and keep his new family together.

Malcolm would do anything to forget where he comes from. Desperate to escape his estranged father’s shadow and plagued with an inherited death magic he doesn’t fully understand, Malcolm has just one priority: save his mother, no matter the cost.

Malcolm and Eli’s paths collide when Eli and his friends are sent to track down the fang of the leopard god Osebo, a deadly weapon that can eat magic. In a job filled with enigmatic nine nights and Caribbean legends, the teens must face their own demons as they race through the magical underbelly of London to retrieve the fang…before an ancient and malevolent power comes back to life.

About Nevin Holness

Nevin Holness is from North London. She has a degree in fashion journalism from London College of Fashion and currently works in womenswear. In 2018, she was selected as a finalist in Penguin’s WriteNow mentorship program. She is the author of the King of Dead Things duology.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Ms. Woc Reader on April 22, 2024

Full review [URL not allowed]......more

Goodreads review by Toya (thereadingchemist) on April 11, 2024

I NEED more magical Black boys in fantasy! Thoroughly enjoyed this one.......more

Goodreads review by Dilliemillie on April 22, 2024

OMG. This book deserves WAY more hype than it's currently getting. And I absolutely need there to be more hype, because I will be haunted forever if there isn't enough attention to guarantee the sequel. Eli doesn't have memories before three years ago. He doesn't know where he comes from or who he i......more

Goodreads review by Joey's deathly tomes of death on May 01, 2024

This book was fantastic. As I began reading it, I found that I was drawn in immediately! I bought the hardcover edition right away. The magic woven through this story as we travel from one place to the next, unraveling the mysteries in the lives of Malcolm and Eli. Eli and his tight-knit group of fri......more

Goodreads review by Jennifer on December 20, 2024

I enjoyed this book immensely. The main characters are black Londoners with roots in the Caribbean and magic in their blood. Such interesting folklore and delicious suspense.......more


Quotes

JLG Gold Standard Selection

"Narrator Troy Glasgow is a gift—a natural storyteller who knows how to pace this dynamic debut. Glasgow’s acting prowess is on full display as his baritone voice seeps into listeners’ ears—and into their souls. He carries listeners into, as described in this book, “the secret side of [London], full of winding, serpentine streets and back-alley bargains . . . It was the outer crust . . . [E]veryone here knew what it was to be on the outside.” Glasgow’s narration nimbly shifts between London English and Jamaican accents. This thrilling fantasy with its allusions to Caribbean mythology and legends is well suited for Glasgow’s voice. Listeners will feel fully satisfied with his performance and will eagerly search for more of his work."

★ "Holness’ debut novel overflows with drama, culture, and fantastical realism. Anyone with roots in the Caribbean will chuckle at the familiar array of characters that populate this world. Readers will feel transported as the vivid scenes play out on each page, drawing them in with universal elements such as struggles with identity, family, and an uncertain future. Hopefully this will not be the last we see of Eli and Malcolm. An electrifying debut." 

★ " 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. King of Dead Things is an outstanding, fast-paced adventure."

"Through Eli and Malcolm’s third-person perspectives, magics rooted in the Afro-Caribbean diaspora leap off the pages in a tangle of sensory and emotional touchstones: community, food, family, the way a neighborhood feels—all speak of a tangible power tied to cultural tradition and folklore. Eli, Sunny, Max, and Malcolm are each sympathetic and engaging. . . one crisis dealt with still leaves a multitude of lingering mysteries for (hopefully) future novels." 

"Infused with Caribbean folklore, this fast-paced urban fantasy careerns from one idea to the next but manages to tie it all together in a surprise twist ending."