A solid addition to the YA fantasy genre.
In Harris’ YA fantasy novel, a young boy bound in servitude is put in even more danger when a princess takes an interest in him.
Although slavery is illegal in the medieval-like realm of the South Kingdom, Kai and other orphan children have been steadily forced into bondage over the past five years. While out on a hunt one day, Kai comes across a rich girl who asks too many questions. The girl is eventually revealed to be Cara, a royal whose father has recently died and whose mother has abandoned her duties in the aftermath of the loss. Despite her uncle’s attempts to sideline her because of her gender, Cara’s determined to continue rejecting political marriage offers and to protect the kingdom from increasing attacks from the North. With the help of her cousin Wil, she works to break Kai out of Lord Teagan’s cruel estate. The man tortures and enslaves orphans to produce the grain he supplies the rest of the country and pays special attention to Kai since he can heal from any injury: “When he was little, his mother told him his silvery clear eyes made him special, and his fast healing was a gift he would use for something important one day.” Once Kai arrives at the palace of Hartsfell, where Cara and Wil reside, he’s faced with a new set of problems borne of prejudice, court intrigue, and deadly political machinations. When Kai suddenly disappears without a trace, Cara is forced to decide what she will risk to save Kai and her kingdom. Harris’ world-building is detailed yet easy to understand, with enough mystery to keep readers engaged. Cara jumps off the page slightly more than the rest of the cast, but Kai’s perspective is also distinctive and compelling. Their developing relationship unfolds realistically at a similar pace to the wider plot. At times, the dialogue is stilted, but the rest of the prose holds up sturdily.
A solid addition to the YA fantasy genre.Pub Date: Jan. 6, 2025
ISBN: 9781960018595
Page Count: 332
Publisher: Running Wild Press
Review Posted Online: Sept. 25, 2024
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
An ode to the children of migrants who have been taken away.
A Mexican American boy takes on heavy responsibilities when his family is torn apart.
Mateo’s life is turned upside down the day U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents show up unsuccessfully seeking his Pa at his New York City bodega. The Garcias live in fear until the day both parents are picked up; his Pa is taken to jail and his Ma to a detention center. The adults around Mateo offer support to him and his 7-year-old sister, Sophie, however, he knows he is now responsible for caring for her and the bodega as well as trying to survive junior year—that is, if he wants to fulfill his dream to enter the drama program at the Tisch School of the Arts and become an actor. Mateo’s relationships with his friends Kimmie and Adam (a potential love interest) also suffer repercussions as he keeps his situation a secret. Kimmie is half Korean (her other half is unspecified) and Adam is Italian American; Mateo feels disconnected from them, less American, and with worries they can’t understand. He talks himself out of choosing a safer course of action, a decision that deepens the story. Mateo’s self-awareness and inner monologue at times make him seem older than 16, and, with significant turmoil in the main plot, some side elements feel underdeveloped. Aleman’s narrative joins the ranks of heart-wrenching stories of migrant families who have been separated.
An ode to the children of migrants who have been taken away. (Fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: May 4, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-7595-5605-8
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: Feb. 22, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2021
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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