A terminally-ill girl is lured into a fantasy world with a chance at a cure, but magic has a price.High school senior Madeline, struggling with a deadly lung disease, eagerly exchanges a year of service with the Elenil for her health. Meanwhile, her skeptical friend Jason Wu, worried for her safety, follows along and trades a year of his life for a pudding cup each day for the rest of his life. They find themselves in a world where young humans are recruited to serve and fight in wars against the Scim. While Madeline delights in her ability to breathe freely in the Sunlit Lands, Jason is busy investigating the rules of magic. The Elenil heal wounds, have magical toilets, and give him a war beast whom he names Delightful Glitter Lady. It is too good to be trueuntil you ask, where does all the poop go? And who accepts the wounds when these young soldiers are injured? Although at times heavy-handed with the religious imagery and social messaging, the issues this story brings up are relevant to current discussions about poverty and cultural extinction. Madeline is white and blonde, Jason is Chinese-American, and their culturally diverse friend group in the Sunlit Lands includes an Apsalooke and a Native Hawaiian boy.For Narnia fans who enjoy heavy snark, this is a must-read. (cast of characters, appendix, poem, proverbs, lament, legend, song) (Fantasy. 13-17) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

One day, Madeline Oliver is losing her battle with a fatal lung disease. The next, she finds herself fighting an epic war in a realm called the Sunlit Lands, her symptoms magically cured in exchange for a year spent defending the Elenil from their monstrous enemies, the Scim. Accompanying Madeline to the Sunlit Lands is her overprotective lab partner, Jason Wu, whose humor hides a painful past. Although they revel in Madeline's remission, what they eventually learn about Elenil magic horrifies them. Meanwhile, Madeline's boyfriend, Darius, finds his own way to the realm, where he allies himself with the Scim. Once the teens realize the injustice that is the truly monstrous foundation of the Sunlit Lands, they must make the ultimate sacrifice to begin restoring balance. Recognizing and resisting oppression is a theme that the book powerfully advances with references to America's past unjust treatment of Chinese immigrants and Native people, as well as the present-day incarceration of black Americans. An abundance of wit and action jazz up the robust message.--Carolyn Kelly Copyright 2018 Booklist