The Buried and the Bound

December 5, 2022
In this creature-filled fantasy, a trilogy kickoff, three teens’ lives intertwine as they work to protect their mortal home—and one another—from the deadly machinations of a magical evil. Seventeen-year-old Lebanese American hedge witch Aziza El-Amin patrols Blackthorn, Mass., working to secure the borders between the real world and the fairyland of Elpheme by rescuing wayward shades and combatting aggressive monsters. White Leo Merritt, a 17-year-old cursed to forget his true love, becomes Aziza’s ally in exchange for her help in breaking the curse. Unhoused necromancer Tristan, also white, 17, and only a year into his decade-long servitude to a wicked hag in the woods, fears he won’t make it to the promised magical favor at the end of his bargain. When the trio team up to combat the forest hag’s increasingly malevolent power, they unearth ancient town secrets and mysteries from their own pasts. Hassan (The Prince of Nowhere) employs a rapid pace and plentiful action while still prioritizing the cast’s development into magnetic heroes. Overflowing with whimsy, danger, and a touch of humor, this alluring tale maintains a satisfying air of menace and unpredictability. Ages 14–up. Agent: Erica Bauman, Aevitas Creative Management.

January 1, 2023
Grades 9-12 Hassan's thrilling dark fantasy is told from three perspectives: that of Tristan, with a closet full of skeletons, new powers to handle, and a witch who has control over his every waking moment; Aziza, the only hedgewitch in Blackthorn, Massachusetts, tasked with protecting the humans from the fae in the woods; and Leo, a cursed teen who's forgotten everything about his true love. The unlikely, reluctant trio converge when Aziza discovers that a creature in the woods is too dangerous for a talented hedgewitch to go at alone, especially one whose usual adventures consist of dealing with meddlesome fae. Though they're not sure they can trust anyone else--including each other--the three band together to quell the danger in the woods, all while dealing with their own trials and tribulations on the side. Hassan expertly weaves these three titillating storylines, featuring chilling and thrilling faerie monsters and creatures, into a multilayered magical adventure about companionship, sacrifice, and survival.

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Starred review from May 19, 2023

Gr 9 Up-What happens when a hedgewitch, a necromancer, and a cursed boy join forces to protect their magical town? A supernatural team is born in Hassan's latest fantasy adventure. Aziza is a hedgewitch, tasked with protecting the fraying boundary between Blackthorn, MA, and the faery realm; but she has little support, and lately the job only seems to get harder and scarier. Her Lebanese-American grandfather is raising her on his own ever since her parents died mysteriously when she was very young. Accustomed to soldiering on alone, brusque Aziza is initially distrustful of Leo, a gregarious, open-hearted boy who offers his help in exchange for information that might help him break a curse that has plagued his family for years and has ripped the memory of his true love away from him. As the two become closer, they cross paths with Tristan, a new necromancer living in dire circumstances. Tristan became homeless after he came out to his parents and they kicked him out, leading him to make a desperate deal with an evil hag. As Aziza and Leo investigate the growing violence in Blackthorn, they realize that Tristan and his dark master may be the key to it all. Leo is described as having curly brown hair and tan skin while Tristan is coded as white. The teens' journey to trusting each other is by turns heart-wrenching and hilarious, and the episodic nature of their quests will appeal to fans of supernatural shows like Sabrina or Wednesday. Although the main storyline is resolved, many questions remain unanswered, leaving readers desperate for the next installment. VERDICT A first purchase for teen libraries.-Catherine Cote

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Starred review from November 15, 2022
An ancient horror awakens in Blackthorn, Massachusetts, and three 17-year-olds--a witch, a necromancer, and a cursed boy--come together to face it. Lebanese American Aziza El-Amin is a hedgewitch in charge of the boundaries between the human and fae realms. But recently something has felt very wrong, as though a disease were spreading, and it's connected to a family secret that Jiddo, her grandfather and guardian since her parents' deaths, is keeping from her. Leo Merritt's Italian American family lives under the shadow of a mysterious curse that Leo has been trying to break for a year, ever since his 16th birthday when it made him forget everything about his one true love. Suffering due to the gaps in his memory and an all-consuming grief, Leo discovers that Aziza is a witch and believes she can help him. Tristan Drake, a White boy, made a terrible mistake when he became the bondservant and necromancer to the increasingly powerful hag in the woods in exchange for breaking the curse on his beloved boyfriend, Leo. But then the hag threatens Leo and everything changes. With gorgeous prose and rich worldbuilding, this gripping dark fantasy slowly unfolds its tale of broken hearts, family secrets, and self-empowerment as it follows its three appealing, well-rounded narrators and a variety of interesting secondary characters. This is one for fans of Holly Black, Anna-Marie McLemore, and romantic fantasy that has a bittersweet bite. A wonderful start to a new trilogy. (Fantasy. 14-18)

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