Publishers Weekly
06/17/2024
Zan has been leading marked souls to the Styx to be consumed after death in service to the Ferryman for 499 years. He only has one year left in the bargain he made to save his mother’s life, after which he will be reborn into contemporary society. Meanwhile, in Portland, Ore., teenage Bash has spent months reliving memories of the car accident in which his mother died, drifting away from his friends and his seemingly put-together twin. When Bash dreams about the Styx, Zan discovers that Bash is a wayward soul marked for the Ferryman. As the teens grow closer over the course of several dreams—and as Bash becomes increasingly eager to return to the Styx—Zan frantically searches for a way to keep Bash alive, even if it means sacrificing everything he’s worked five centuries to achieve. Zan’s paranormal grapples with the Ferryman help to accentuate the narrative’s gothic elements while Bash’s struggles to be present in his own life—along with the myriad bittersweet realities surrounding grief this challenge entails—add texture to Kulwicki’s captivating queer romance debut. Bash and Zan cue as white. Ages 14–up. Agent: Connor Eck, Lucinda Literary. (Sept.)
From the Publisher
"Kulwicki has written a superb book with a brilliantly original plot, characters to fall in love with, a monster of pure evil in the Ferryman, and breathtaking suspense that is to die for. [...] a must-read."
—Booklist, starred review
"Told in alternating perspectives, this queer contemporary spin on Greek mythology is a thoughtful portrait of grief and healing. [...] Poignant and hopeful."
—Kirkus Reviews
"Zan’s paranormal grapples with the Ferryman help to accentuate the narrative’s gothic elements while Bash’s struggles to be present in his own life [...] add texture to Kulwicki’s captivating queer romance debut."
—Publishers Weekly
“At once a dazzling dream and a nightmare, this love story that transcends time, place, and the fragile limits of this life. In their gorgeous debut, Michelle Kulwicki explores grief and love as two sides of the same precious coin.”
—Jen St. Jude, author of If Tomorrow Doesn’t Come
“With its haunting dreamscapes, deft prose, and two lost boys finding love while confronting death, Kulwicki’s debut guides readers through an innovative reimagining of myth and unflinching contemplation of loss and healing. Bastian and Zan’s heartrending story will stay with you forever.”
—Leanne Schwartz, author of A Prayer for Vengeance and To a Darker Shore
“Kulwicki ingeniously weaves together mythology, fantasy, and contemporary reality to create a stirring exploration of grief, loneliness, and the many permutations of love.”
—Madeline Claire Franklin, author of The Wilderness of Girls
“Beautifully written and atmospheric, this is one of my favorite reads of the year.”
—Sophie Cameron, author of Out of the Blue
“Equal parts heartbreaking and hopeful, Kulwicki weaves a tale of personal grief and tragedy with epic, centuries-old myth. A story of star-crossed lovers, an implacable god of death, and the messy process of learning how to live after loss.”
—Rochelle Hassan, author of The Prince of Nowhere
Kirkus Reviews
2024-06-15
Two boys from different worlds find one another through grief.
In Greece 499 years ago, 18-year-old Zan sacrificed himself to the Ferryman of the River Styx to save his mother’s life. His centuries spent leading souls to the Ferryman are nearly up when something unexpected happens a year before his servitude ends: He meets Bastian, a boy living in present-day Portland, Oregon, who’s deeply troubled by the untimely death of his own mother. Zan has one job: to lead Bastian to the ghoulish Ferryman, who will devour his soul. But something about Bastian is different. Bastian’s friends and twin brother are determined to help him heal from the trauma of losing his mother. He keeps finding Zan in what initially seem to be recurring dreams, but as Bastian finds himself drawn further into Zan’s world (which is cobbled together from past souls’ memories), the two find their connection growing. Zan must decide whether he can sacrifice Bastian to the Ferryman and finally end his sentence—or serve for 500 more years. Bastian, meanwhile, must consider his own mortality. Told in alternating perspectives, this queer contemporary spin on Greek mythology is a thoughtful portrait of grief and healing. Bastian’s guilt and sadness are palpable and will resonate with readers as they cheer him on. Bastian is racially ambiguous; his mother had “warm ochre” skin.
Poignant and hopeful.(Fiction. 14-18)
