A duology closer incorporating magic, war, and love and set in a lush, well-described fantasy China.
The fate of the human kingdom—and the immortal and demon kingdoms as well—hangs on one girl and what her heart decides in this sequel to The Scorpion and the Night Blossom (2025).
Àn’yīng and Hào’yáng, who’s heir to the mortal throne of the Kingdom of Rivers, have returned to Àn’yīng’s village. They have a plan that will protect her family and the rest of the kingdom from the demon mó forever: a marriage between them, which will create a political alliance linking the mortal and immortal realms. But working against them are the demonic forces, led by Yù’chén’s mother. Yù’chén, whom Àn’yīng is impossibly drawn to, is key to the bonds between the three kingdoms, just as much as Hào’yáng and Àn’yīng are, and ultimately fate will bring them together, to violent ends. Àn’yīng’s travels through the dark kingdom of the demons and the heavenly kingdom of the immortals are grounded in Chinese mythology and folklore, and the worldbuilding includes familiar fantasy components, such as glittering gowns and dangerous, seductive men. Àn’yīng’s story and the choices she makes are engrossing enough, but her confused love triangle, while adding conflict, isn’t given enough space to fully develop. Still, this is a readable work that effortlessly incorporates Chinese elements, such as dragons and an immortality pill, that enrich the story.
A duology closer incorporating magic, war, and love and set in a lush, well-described fantasy China. (map) (Fantasy. 14-18)Pub Date: March 3, 2026
ISBN: 9780593813881
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Delacorte
Review Posted Online: Nov. 22, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2026
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A light and entertaining plot-driven romance.
A Connecticut girl and her best friend devise a series of plans in order to achieve their goals: following a dream and winning back an ex.
Eighteen-year-old Audrey Barbour has a Master Plan: attend Blue Ridge Glass School in North Carolina and someday turn her Etsy shop, Golightly Glass, into a thriving business. But her uber-wealthy parents insist that she instead follow in their footsteps and go to business school. So Audrey decides to go find the tuition money she needs with help from her best friend, Henry Chen. Henry needs a favor, too: He hopes that fake dating Audrey will help him win back his ex-girlfriend, and he points out to a reluctant Audrey that this could make her crush, Griffin, notice her. While Audrey’s parents vacation in France for three weeks, the pair rent out the Barbour mansion on the Long Island Sound. Soon romantic chemistry grows alongside their business partnership. Despite the pair’s great preparation and an abundance of secondary characters with connections and talents to help pull off their increasingly ambitious ideas, plans go awry, leaving Audrey and Henry scrambling and second-guessing their choices. The pacing is even, but the characters often take a back seat to the whirlwind of activity that drives the plot, with the emphasis falling on each person’s practical skills and their role in keeping the action moving over their emotional bonds. Audrey is white, and Henry’s surname cues him as Chinese American.
A light and entertaining plot-driven romance. (Romance. 14-18)Pub Date: March 31, 2026
ISBN: 9780593904794
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Delacorte Romance
Review Posted Online: Dec. 12, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2026
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
There’s not much plot here, but readers will relish the opportunity to climb inside Autumn’s head.
The finely drawn characters capture readers’ attention in this debut.
Autumn and Phineas, nicknamed Finny, were born a week apart; their mothers are still best friends. Growing up, Autumn and Finny were like peas in a pod despite their differences: Autumn is “quirky and odd,” while Finny is “sweet and shy and everyone like[s] him.” But in eighth grade, Autumn and Finny stop being friends due to an unexpected kiss. They drift apart and find new friends, but their friendship keeps asserting itself at parties, shared holiday gatherings and random encounters. In the summer after graduation, Autumn and Finny reconnect and are finally ready to be more than friends. But on August 8, everything changes, and Autumn has to rely on all her strength to move on. Autumn’s coming-of-age is sensitively chronicled, with a wide range of experiences and events shaping her character. Even secondary characters are well-rounded, with their own histories and motivations.
There’s not much plot here, but readers will relish the opportunity to climb inside Autumn’s head. (Fiction. 14 & up)Pub Date: April 1, 2013
ISBN: 978-1-4022-7782-5
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Review Posted Online: Feb. 12, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2013
BOOK REVIEW
SEEN & HEARD
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