Publishers Weekly
12/05/2022
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. (Jan.)
From the Publisher
"With gorgeous prose and rich worldbuilding, this gripping dark fantasy slowly unfolds its tale of broken hearts, family secrets, and self-empowerment . . . . 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." —Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
"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." —School Library Journal (starred review)
"Overflowing with whimsy, danger, and a touch of humor, this alluring tale maintains a satisfying air of menace and unpredictability." —Publishers Weekly
"A thrilling dark fantasy. . . 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." —Booklist
"As she brings a Lebanese immigrant family into the heart of a witches-in-New England tale, Hassan deftly highlights magic’s global presence. Although Aziza’s magical specialty is maintaining borders, her sprawling world of magic illustrates the rewards that await readers when fantasy reaches beyond white, Eurocentric inspirations and characters. Imaginative and urgently paced, The Buried and the Bound will be enjoyed by fans of Holly Black, S. Jae-Jones and Alix E. Harrow." —Bookpage
APRIL 2023 - AudioFile
Love, friendship, and other magic and mortal ties are explored with three voices in this fierce teen fantasy. Tristan is a bond servant to a vile hag, finding victims and controlling the dead. Narrator Daniel Henning's gentle tone makes the gore bearable. When he deftly plunges into Tristan's despair, his voice cracks with anguish. Leo's family struggles under several curses, including his true love having been erased from his mind when he turned 16. Dan Bittner portrays Leo with a youthful doggedness that lightens the story and gives hope. Aziza is an orphaned hedge witch patrolling the borders of the magical realm to protect her small town. Nikki Massoud makes Aziza savvy and tough. The three characters team up to battle dark magic and expose family secrets. S.T.C. © AudioFile 2023, Portland, Maine
Kirkus Reviews
★ 2022-10-26
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)
