An entertaining time-traveling tale with a spirited hero.
A 17-year-old girl attends a school for unusual thieves in this YA novel.
NatashaClarke was once a popular, star student. But she barely makes it through school these days, working overtime to help her mom make ends meet after her father’s disappearance years ago. When her new friend Elodie Blue invites her to ditch school one day, Natasha jumps at the chance, not knowing her life is about to change forever. She wakes up the next day to find herself accused of a crime she has no memory of committing and an invitation to join Gray Wolf Academy, a private boarding school in a remote location, run by the reclusive tech trillionaire Arthur Blackstone. Given no choice, Natasha joins the ranks of the academy, where she discovers that she is about to start a career as a time-traveling thief. Tripping into the past to steal artifacts and treasures, Natasha learns that Arthur has a secret mission that he expects her to fulfill. Her faint memories of time spent with her father may have something to do with the covert operation. If navigating the waters of the past were not complicated enough, Natasha also must contend with potentially untrustworthy schoolmates, her broken relationship with Elodie, and her growing feelings for Braxton, the boy who recruited her for the academy. Noël’s series opener is a fast-paced tale full of puzzles, secrets, and adventures through time, featuring a strong-willed protagonist, an exploration of ethics, and a healthy dose of romance. But characters’ reactions to some of the story’s events are perplexing: People disappear in time, and no one seems to care; Natasha’s mom signs away her daughter’s life to a mysterious school that doesn’t even have a website; and the protagonist often displays a blasé attitude in enigmatic conversations with classmates. The time-traveling element is fun but its mechanism is barely explained in what is decidedly a tale that’s more fantasy than SF. Still, the novel is engaging, with the potential for more character and story development in the sequel.
An entertaining time-traveling tale with a spirited hero. (Fantasy. 14-18)Pub Date: June 28, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-64937-150-8
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Entangled Teen
Review Posted Online: May 4, 2022
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
In addition to the supernatural elements, Brosgol interweaves some savvy insights about the illusion of perfection and...
A deliciously creepy page-turning gem from first-time writer and illustrator Brosgol finds brooding teenager Anya trying to escape the past—both her own and the ghost haunting her.
Anya feels out of place at her preppy private school; embarrassed by her Russian heritage, she has worked hard to lose her accent and to look more like everyone else. After a particularly frustrating morning at the bus stop, Anya storms off, only to accidentally fall down a well. Down in the dark hole, she meets Emily, a ghost who claims to be a murder victim trapped down in the dank abyss for 90 years. With Emily’s help, Anya manages to escape, though once free, she learns that Emily has traveled out with her. At first, Emily seems like the perfect friend; however, once her motives become clear, Anya learns that “perfect” may only be an illusion. A moodily atmospheric spectrum of grays washes over the clean, tidy panels, setting a distinct stage before the first words appear. Brosgol’s tight storytelling invokes the chilling feeling of Neil Gaiman’s Coraline (2002), though for a decidedly older set.
In addition to the supernatural elements, Brosgol interweaves some savvy insights about the illusion of perfection and outward appearance. (Graphic supernatural fiction. 12 & up)Pub Date: June 7, 2011
ISBN: 978-1-59643-552-0
Page Count: 224
Publisher: First Second
Review Posted Online: April 18, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2011
An entertaining and atmospheric, though sometimes clumsy, exploration of the true cost of beauty.
In this retelling of a classic, a drama student’s obsession with beauty leads her down a dark—and possibly deadly—path.
Eighteen-year-old Penny Paxton is beginning her first year at Dorian Drama Academy in Edinburgh, Scotland, where she hopes to follow in her starlet mother’s footsteps—and earn the love that her mother has never seemed to offer. At Dorian, Penny is mentored by Royal Shakespeare Company legend Orlagh Camran, who makes her the compelling offer of a portrait by the Masked Painter, a mysterious artist with the ability to gift his subjects everlasting youth and beauty. But shortly after Penny’s portrait is complete, several of the Masked Painter’s subjects are found murdered. Fearing that she’s made a terrible mistake and may become the next victim, Penny, who’s gay, begins to investigate the murders with the help of an unlikely ally. As she attempts to uncover the truth surrounding the Masked Painter and the murders, she’s forced to reckon with her own toxic obsession with beauty. This chilling, atmospheric novel, inspired by The Picture of Dorian Gray, is entertaining and full of twists, though some of the reveals feel contrived and some questions are left unanswered. The plot unravels at a leisurely pace but eventually builds to an action-packed (if somewhat convoluted) conclusion. Most characters are cued white.
An entertaining and atmospheric, though sometimes clumsy, exploration of the true cost of beauty. (content note, author’s note, bonus scene) (Fantasy thriller. 14-18)Pub Date: May 26, 2026
ISBN: 9781250346797
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Wednesday Books
Review Posted Online: March 9, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2026
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