An often entertaining coming-of-age romance with a supernatural twist.
Being a teenager is tough, but being one who can make bad things happen with a wish is even tougher in Gordon’s paranormal YA novel.
Eighteen-year-old high school senior Regan Braaten is not what she appears. Though her life features everyday teen struggles, she also possesses the ability to control other people’s minds and actions with a wish. The discovery of this power came at a cost, specifically, the death of her father in an accident, for which Regan feels guilty. Regan’s mother moves the family from Anchorage, Alaska, to Wyoming, where the teen helps her grandparents on their ranch, gets a job at a local restaurant, and navigates life as a new girl in town with a big secret. She soon gets involved with two boys: Jude, a mysterious, artistic type with a “deep, smoky voice” and dark eyes, and Layne, the star of the high school football team and boyfriend of ruthless queen bee Gabby; as a member of a powerful local family, Gabby could make life very difficult for Regan. Later, to avenge those that Gabby has hurt, Regan puts her newfound skills to the test. Gordon’s book employs a very familiar romance trope in which an outcast girl must choose between two vastly different boys who are enthralled by her, and a significant portion of the plot revolves around this dilemma; as a result, deeper topics, such as guilt and loss, feel relatively glossed over. However, the plot gains more nuance when Regan realizes that she might not be the only one with extraordinary abilities. The novel’s main strength is its pacing; the dialogue, exposition, and action all move quickly, and readers will be kept guessing as to what Regan will do next, particularly in her romantic life: Will she choose Layne, whose normalcy encourages her to keep her powers in check, or Jude, who accepts her for who she really is? Meanwhile, mysterious dark-suited men seem to be following her, which adds intrigue.
An often entertaining coming-of-age romance with a supernatural twist.Pub Date: July 5, 2023
ISBN: N/A
Page Count: 338
Publisher: The Wild Rose Press
Review Posted Online: May 18, 2023
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
A sweet if muddled tale of the magic of Appalachia.
A teenage witch goes up against the evil king of the mountain to save a cursed village.
Witch-in-training Verity Vox has spent a year apiece in different villages, helping in any way she can as she learns her art. When it’s time to move on, she receives a sign that shows her where to go next. When the latest sign appears in the form of a note begging for help that floats down on a leaf, she’s eager for the challenge. Verity winds up in Foxfire, a village in the Appalachian mountains that’s been magically cut off from the rest of the world for years, leaving its people close to starvation. The root of their suffering is a man they know as Earl, who lives in the hills and strikes deals with the townspeople that ultimately cause crops to wither, folks to disappear, and the only bridge out of the valley to crumble. Verity is determined to change the villagers’ fortunes, but to do so she’ll have to face off against not just Earl but the ancient power of the mountains itself. Loosely based on the Germanic Erlking legend and told in a voice reminiscent of folktales, the story features a queer romance and a cast that presents white. The convoluted magic system undercuts the strong themes of reciprocity, poverty, and privilege, but Appalachian readers will instantly recognize home.
A sweet if muddled tale of the magic of Appalachia. (Fantasy. 13-18)Pub Date: Aug. 5, 2025
ISBN: 9798890032706
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Page Street
Review Posted Online: May 30, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2025
SEEN & HEARD
A descriptive and atmospheric paranormal social thriller that could be a bit tighter.
After a Nigerian British girl goes off to an exclusive boarding school that seems to prey on less-privileged students, she discovers there might be some truth behind an urban legend.
Ife Adebola joins the Urban Achievers scholarship program at pricey, high-pressure Nithercott School, arriving shortly after a student called Leon mysteriously disappeared. Gossip says he’s a victim of the glowing-eyed Changing Man who targets the lonely, leaving them changed. Ife doesn’t believe in the myth, but amid the stresses of Nithercott’s competitive, privileged, majority-white environment, where she is constantly reminded of her state school background, she does miss her friends and family. When Malika, a fellow Black scholarship student, disappears and then returns, acting strangely devoid of personality, Ife worries the Changing Man is real—and that she’s next. Ife joins forces with classmate Bijal and Benny, Leon’s younger brother, to uncover the truth about who the Changing Man is and what he wants. Culminating in a detailed, gory, and extended climactic battle, this verbose thriller tempts readers with a nefarious mystery involving racial and class-based violence but never quite lives up to its potential and peters out thematically by its explosive finale. However, this debut offers highly visually evocative and eerie descriptions of characters and events and will appeal to fans of creature horror, social commentary, and dark academia.
A descriptive and atmospheric paranormal social thriller that could be a bit tighter. (Thriller. 14-18)Pub Date: Sept. 26, 2023
ISBN: 9781250868138
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Review Posted Online: June 8, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2023
BOOK REVIEW
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