Deliciously romantic and drenched in dark magic.
Former lovers reunite and uncover the sinister secrets of a traveling circus.
Time is running out for almost-19-year-old Esmeralda Montero. To stay in the Carnival Fantástico and earn enough to escape Costa Mayor, where she faces “a one-way ticket to the frontlines of war,” she must come out on top in the Running, a competition to determine the Carnival’s next brightest star. When Esmeralda finally receives an invitation to perform for the Running as La Paloma Blanca: Fortune Teller Extraordinaire, she’s determined to shine. She’s shocked to run into ex-boyfriend Ignacio Olivera, the son of the comandante who sent her to prison, with whom she has a complicated history. The cruelty of his tyrannical and murderous father, Héctor, compels Ignacio to defect from the army and expose his father’s corruption. While searching Héctor’s office for evidence, Ignacio finds flyers for the Carnival; on their reverse are mysterious letters written in the same ink Esmeralda used in her last letter to him, one that broke his heart. Esmeralda and Ignacio team up to help one another achieve their goals, soon realizing how much they need each other if they hope to survive and save their kingdom from threats they uncover. The leads’ second-chance romance simmers with passion and clever banter. Beneath her feisty exterior and his disciplined image, they long to feel special and worthy, feelings they validate in one another. Most characters in this early-20th-century, Latine-inspired world are brown-skinned.
Deliciously romantic and drenched in dark magic. (Fantasy. 13-18)Pub Date: Feb. 3, 2026
ISBN: 9798217024469
Page Count: 464
Publisher: Joy Revolution
Review Posted Online: Nov. 8, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2025
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A compelling romance inhabited by complex and appealing characters.
When star hockey player Alec Barczewski’s estranged childhood friend, Dani Collins, moves to town, they end up in a mutually beneficial fake-dating relationship that reignites old feelings.
Following her parents’ divorce, Dani and her mom move in with Dani’s hockey legend grandfather in Southview, Minnesota, where she spent a month every summer as a child and where her friendship with Alec grew. Between visits, the two were pen pals, but they eventually fell out of touch. Despite some tensions over their loss of friendship, the high school seniors reconnect. Desperate to get off Harvard’s waitlist, Dani needs another extracurricular activity, while Alec—whose reputation took a hit when a photo of him holding a bong appeared on social media—is eager to improve his tarnished image for NHL scouts. The pair strike a deal: They’ll fake date, making Alec look like a stable guy whose academically gifted girlfriend is related to hockey royalty, and in exchange, he’ll get Dani a team manager position that will catch the eye of Harvard’s admissions officers. Eventually, complicated feelings about their past, stressful family relationships, and their brewing romance boil over. Romance fans will love the deliciously tension-filled scenes between Alec and Dani, who are believable friends with heavy demands weighing on them. They feel like real teenagers, and readers will enjoy rooting for them as the well-paced story unfolds. Main characters present white.
A compelling romance inhabited by complex and appealing characters. (Romance. 14-18)Pub Date: Sept. 30, 2025
ISBN: 9781665921268
Page Count: 448
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Aug. 2, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2025
SEEN & HEARD
A lackluster and sometimes disturbing mishmash of overused tropes.
The Plague has left a population divided between Elites and Ordinaries—those who have powers and those who don’t; now, an Ordinary teen fights for her life.
Paedyn Gray witnessed the king kill her father five years ago, and she’s been thieving and sleeping rough ever since, all while faking Psychic abilities. When she inadvertently saves the life of Prince Kai, she becomes embroiled in the Purging Trials, a competition to commemorate the sickness that killed most of the kingdom’s Ordinaries. Kai’s duties as the future Enforcer include eradicating any remaining Ordinaries, and these Trials are his chance to prove that he’s internalized his brutal training. But Kai can’t help but find Pae’s blue eyes, silver hair, and unabashed attitude enchanting. She likewise struggles to resist his stormy gray eyes, dark hair, and rakish behavior, even as they’re pitted against each other in the Trials and by the king himself. Scenes and concepts that are strongly reminiscent of the Hunger Games fall flat: They aren’t bolstered by the original’s heart or worldbuilding logic that would have justified a few extreme story elements. Illogical leaps and inconsistent characterizations abound, with lighthearted romantic interludes juxtaposed against genocide, child abuse, and sadism. These elements, which are not sufficiently addressed, combined with the use of ableist language, cannot be erased by any amount of romantic banter. Main characters are cued white; the supporting cast has some brown-skinned characters.
A lackluster and sometimes disturbing mishmash of overused tropes. (map) (Fantasy. 14-18)Pub Date: Nov. 7, 2023
ISBN: 9798987380406
Page Count: 538
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Sept. 9, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2023
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