Vivid characters and worldbuilding will leave readers eager for the sequel.
A werewolf and a warlock team up to solve a supernatural murder in this trilogy opener by debut author Jordan.
When Sage goes to check on Lucy, her fellow werewolf friend, she finds dangerous, enigmatic warlock Oren in Lucy’s Manchester, England, apartment. He’s investigating her brutal murder to determine if it’s an Upside, or human, crime, or a Downside, or supernatural, one that would fall in his jurisdiction. Though Oren feels something about the crime scene is off, it’s Sage who discovers the supernatural link. Roderick, Oren’s captain in the Arcānum (paranormal police), knows Sage—she’s applied many times, but the Arcānum only hires warlocks. Still, he gives her Lucy’s case as a trial, forcing solitary Oren to take her on as a temporary partner. The slow-burn first third of the book introduces the secret supernatural society while the investigation unfolds and the characters’ interactions reveal Sage’s survivor’s guilt–induced motivations and peel back Oren’s prickly layers. The immersive worldbuilding mitigates the slow initial pace and Oren’s not-so-pleasant personality until the heroes begin to thaw toward each other in a rewarding development. Once the murder mystery plot picks up steam and complexity, the narrative tension builds until the climax, which is a mixed bag—the solution to the mystery is nifty but comes via a villain’s monologue and relies on a foundation of side characters’ work rather than the protagonists’ efforts. Most characters present white.
Vivid characters and worldbuilding will leave readers eager for the sequel. (Paranormal thriller. 14-18)Pub Date: March 4, 2025
ISBN: 9781546136613
Page Count: 352
Publisher: Chicken House/Scholastic
Review Posted Online: Jan. 18, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2025
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
A worthy second-chance romance.
In this follow-up to 2021’s Better Than the Movies, a 20-year-old college freshman gets a second chance at his dreams.
After the death of his father and his mother’s subsequent physical and emotional disappearance, Wes Bennett left behind all of his plans and the girl he made them with to go home and take care of Sarah, his younger sister. But now, Sarah has graduated, his mom is back on her feet, and by some miracle, Wes has an offer to pitch for UCLA’s baseball team. Liz Buxbaum, the girl he’s always loved, works for the university’s athletic department, taking photos and video of the team for social media, which means that maybe he can have a second chance at love, too. But since Wes left, Liz has made every effort to protect herself from ever feeling that broken again; there’s no room for love, because she doesn’t believe in it anymore. Or she doesn’t want to. This second-chance sports romance includes fake dates, quippy and quirky best friends, real heartache, and the sweet ache of first love. The clever dialogue keeps readers from drowning in the main characters’ emotional push-and-pull. Reading the first novel isn’t necessary for appreciating this one, although knowing the full history between Wes and Liz will only add to the ache and longing readers feel from and for them. Main characters are cued white.
A worthy second-chance romance. (Romance. 14-18)Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2024
ISBN: 9781665947138
Page Count: 368
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: July 19, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2024
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