A lighthearted novel that simultaneously features heavy environmental themes, multifaceted characters, and lots of charm.
Holman weaves elements of humor, magic, romance, and environmental activism in a quirky ocean-set romantasy.
Jelly, a mermaid warrior native to the Great Pacific Garbage Patch in the North Pacific, assumes the role of unlikely eco-hero. Pollution, especially plastic waste, has devastated marine life and rendered mermaids infertile. To preserve their species, they’re sent on missions to conceive children with human men. Jelly, however, has been using these missions to investigate the sources of pollution. As a result, the ruling council, the Trident, arrests Jelly and puts her in a solitary magical prison. While locked away, an enchanted pearl, a family heirloom, forces Jelly to watch a horrifying tableau of nuclear bombs detonating in the ocean, destroying marine ecosystems, and mutating sea life over generations. Despite the grim subject, the author sets the scene with surprising levity, sprinkling aquatic puns throughout: “We were currently on the rocks”; “I floundered between hurt and anger”; and “I found her a little…salty.” The mermaid convinces the Trident to approve one more procreation mission, and she uses the expedition to ask the Serfecti (a powerful and secretive magical group of surface-dwelling beings) to help her convince humanity to stop contaminating the planet. Along with the Surfecti, she meets Mako, who is half mer and half fae; he trains Jelly to control her magical powers, which have been further enhanced by the pearl, and is the lead love interest. Romantasy tropes abound, like handsome cast members (sexy wizards Roan and Gray), and a well-endowed villainous prince and villain, Terrun (“His tight trousers left little to the imagination, especially as his excitement strained the fabric”).
Holman conveys her message of environmental conservation and protection throughout the novel. For example, after Jelly regroups with allies, including pal Simmi, they form a plan to confront ocean pollution. And Terrun’s attempts to capture Simmi, using magic that lets him possess marine animals, allows the author to highlight various forms of ocean life, including sharks. The author also uses solid storytelling and dramatic tension to keep the pages turning: In order to enhance her power and take on Terrun, save Simmi, and rescue all of humanity (which Terrun has targeted as irredeemable for the environmental damage they’ve already caused), Jelly performs a Coactus Fusionem, a dangerous ritual that could be fatal (which, of course, involves becoming physically intimate with Mako). This storyline ramps up the stakes and adds to the fun. With her newfound strength, will Jelly defeat Terrun, and subsequently use her influence to guide humanity in the right direction? As the story concludes, she even pitches an eco-friendly detergent to the local superstore. Overall, Holman (despite the whimsical premise and humorous voice) excels in giving the protagonist depth and motivation for her environmental activism, which is rooted in her mother’s early demise from cancer caused by plastic exposure. The adventure is also brought together with a well-rounded cast of side characters, such as a toxic ex and a loyal best friend.
A lighthearted novel that simultaneously features heavy environmental themes, multifaceted characters, and lots of charm.Pub Date: Nov. 23, 2024
ISBN: 9780998426464
Page Count: 442
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: April 3, 2025
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
An existential crisis that steps on its own final moments.
With only a month left until the world ends due to a swiftly approaching black hole, Don and Rodney, a retired gay couple, road-trip from Maine to Washington to spend their final days with their son.
After reports that a planet-swallowing black hole is making its way toward Earth, Rodney and Don—who have been together for 40 years and survived everything from homophobia to the HIV crisis—decide to pack their belongings into an RV, say goodbye to their neighbors, and travel from Camden, Maine, to Washington to uphold a promise to spend their final days with their son. They can’t wait any longer, since there’s already chaos around the country: “Military vehicles in the streets of most cities and towns. Looting, rioting, the burning of cars and buildings and people, all of it had already happened.” As they make their way west across the country, they encounter fellow travelers ranging from close-knit families to free-spirited hippies, some of whom have come to terms with the impending end of the world and others who haven’t. While the story seems to be asking readers what they would do if they had 30 days left to live, and reflects on what different kinds of acceptance might look like in the face of unavoidable tragedy, it loses some of its poignancy in a series of thinly padded monologues about the meaning of life. Clearly intended to pack an emotional punch, it’s failed by an abrupt ending, and the way the journey’s mystery—which will be obvious to many readers—is revealed by an info dump in the last chapter.
An existential crisis that steps on its own final moments.Pub Date: April 28, 2026
ISBN: 9781250881236
Page Count: 176
Publisher: Tor
Review Posted Online: March 9, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2026
Light on plot and heavy on bolstering traditional gender norms as the ultimate goal for both men and women.
A Seattle woman meets a Chicago businessman as she flies home from a visit to a friend, and her small act of kindness blossoms into more.
Maisy Gallagher is barely making ends meet. With her father’s unexpected death a few years earlier, she dropped out of nursing school to help out in the family’s jewelry store, working with her uncle. Her older brother, Sean, also moved back home so he and Maisy could help their mother and their 10-year-old brother, Patrick. When Maisy offers a ride to a rude businessman who sat next to her on the plane, she’s just operating on the kindness her grandmother instilled in her. That businessman, Chase Furst, turns out to be an incredibly wealthy banker; he’s flown into Seattle to make funeral arrangements for his mother, to whom he hasn’t spoken in years. Sparks fly in this gentle and predictable romance that leans heavily on long-distance and class-divide tropes. As with many of the author’s books, Christianity and the characters’ reliance on God’s will—as they wait and see what happens next—play a large part, as do traditional gender roles where women cook, clean, and only work in paying jobs until they have children at home to take care of. The author does offer a lighter touch when it comes to the painful ways alcoholism can destroy family relationships, with an understanding of the regret that can weigh on every family member.
Light on plot and heavy on bolstering traditional gender norms as the ultimate goal for both men and women.Pub Date: April 28, 2026
ISBN: 9798217091676
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Ballantine
Review Posted Online: Jan. 19, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2026
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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