Published: 2022
Series: Shades of Rust and Ruin
Author: A.G. Howard
Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult, Horror, Retellings, Steampunk, Romance, Fiction, Halloween, Fae
Audience (Grade Levels): Grades 9-12
Number of Stars: 4-Stars
Goodreads Link: Shades of Rust and Ruin
Triggers: Death, violence, depression, survivor’s guilt
Review By: Sara Kahrs
Publisher’s Summary:
Phoenix “Nix” Loring knows her family is under a Halloween curse. When she was three, her parents tragically died on October 31st. Eleven years later, her twin sister Lark suffered a similar fate.
Ever since, Nix has battled survivor guilt. She can’t even find comfort in Clarey, Lark’s boyfriend and the one person who understands her pain, because Nix’s hidden feelings for him go far beyond friendship. All that remains are her sketches, where she finds solace among the goblins and faeries in her imaginary world of Mystiquel. When her depression starts affecting her ability to see color, Nix all but gives up on her art, until her uncle goes missing on Halloween day. Hot on his trail, Nix and Clarey step through a portal, becoming trapped inside a decaying version of their town filled with Nix’s own sketches come to life.
As Nix and Clarey search for her uncle within the sinister and dangerous world of Mystiquel, Nix discovers there’s more to her family curse and otherworldly artwork than she ever imagined-and unless she can solve the Goblin King’s maze before the clock strikes midnight, her life won’t be the only one the curse claims next.
Review:
I have always loved A. G. Howard’s writing and this book is no exception. It is not my favorite of her books, but still a worthwhile read. Nix is a relatable character and her struggle with survivor guilt feels genuine. It is not over exaggerated but rather shows how surviving can sometimes change the tint of the way you look at life, and in Nix’s case, that’s literal. Howard’s descriptive way of writing allows the reader to envision the world she builds, and she always builds a very creative world. In this story, her world is split between modern times reality, and a fey world of steampunk with all the muted colors, metal, and rust that makes that particular aesthetic unique. She incorporates these elements into her main character, Nix, Nix’s best friend, Clarey, and his dog, Flannie to make them fit in the steampunk fantasy world perfectly. The story did have a bit of a predictable twist, but it was still thrilling to read how we would get there and what the fallout would be from the twist. I will say, the plot when Nix enters the steampunk world was a bit hard to follow, but I believe this was on purpose because Nix is an unreliable narrator and this book was inspired by the movie Labyrinth starring David Bowie, which was also unconventional and hard to follow in its own way. It may be confusing for the reader, but it allows us to see things the way Nix sees them and parallels the nature of faeries/goblins in many texts. The book ends in a clear way that shows not only an end to the initial plot but also a look at where the second book will go. I am unsure if this will be a duology or a trilogy, like her Splintered series, but I am highly anticipating the next one.
Classroom & Curricular Connections:
- English Language Arts (The Unreliable Narrator & Literary Allusions): Teachers can use this text to explore the concept of an unreliable narrator, analyzing how Nix’s depression and grief physically distort her perception of reality (such as her inability to see color). Students can also study how Howard pulls thematic inspiration and structural cues from classic portals and maze-narratives like the film Labyrinth.
- Social-Emotional Learning (Survivor’s Guilt & Grief): The story acts as a powerful talking point for mental health, focusing on the heavy reality of survivor’s guilt and depression. It demonstrates how trauma can cloud a young person’s perspective and emphasizes the value of creative outlets, like art, to process deep emotional pain.
- Art & Design (Steampunk Aesthetic): The vivid descriptions of the fey world of Mystiquel—rich with rust, metal, and muted tones—can be integrated into art curriculum to study steampunk style, industrial-inspired fantasy, and how color theory reflects emotional states.
Readalikes:
- Tithe by Holly Black
- Wintersong by S. Jae-Jones
- The Cruel Prince by Holly Black
- Labyrinth Lost by Zoraida Córdova
- Wintersong by S. Jae-Jones
- A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas
