A fun, fast-paced tale set in the perennially popular world of Greek mythology.
A mortal girl and a Greek god fight for the future of their world.
Sixteen-year-old Ara has spent the five years since her sister Estella’s death training to exact revenge on the one responsible: Zeus. Estella was killed during the Immortal Games, a competition between the Gods where mortals are used as tokens for their entertainment. Ara’s only hope of fulfilling her oath to Estella is to be chosen as a token herself. When Ara almost dies while saving her mother from a fire, Hades rescues her and selects her as his token. She’s plunged into the trials with 11 other mortals, including childhood friend Theron. While Ara loathes the Gods, Hades is not what she expected, and their relationship quickly grows. As the competitors find themselves in increasingly dangerous situations, Ara must decide if her newfound relationship with Hades is more important than vengeance, and Hades must determine whether his love for Ara matters more than the fate of the world. Told in Ara’s and Hades’ alternating perspectives, the novel is compelling, with riveting action sequences. Mythological elements, from the gods to lesser-known monsters, are seamlessly included. While the character development is rushed at times, resulting in some relationships feeling shallow, Ara’s and Hades’ motivations ring true throughout. Characters are diverse in appearance, with skin that is variously described as “sun-bronzed,” “almost translucent,” and dark, “with a deep luster.”
A fun, fast-paced tale set in the perennially popular world of Greek mythology. (map, pronunciation guide, author’s note) (Fantasy. 13-18)Pub Date: Jan. 2, 2024
ISBN: 9781338754520
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: Oct. 7, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2023
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
A heavy read about the harsh realities of tragedy and their effects on those left behind.
In this companion novel to 2013’s If He Had Been With Me, three characters tell their sides of the story.
Finn’s narrative starts three days before his death. He explores the progress of his unrequited love for best friend Autumn up until the day he finally expresses his feelings. Finn’s story ends with his tragic death, which leaves his close friends devastated, unmoored, and uncertain how to go on. Jack’s section follows, offering a heartbreaking look at what it’s like to live with grief. Jack works to overcome the anger he feels toward Sylvie, the girlfriend Finn was breaking up with when he died, and Autumn, the girl he was preparing to build his life around (but whom Jack believed wasn’t good enough for Finn). But when Jack sees how Autumn’s grief matches his own, it changes their understanding of one another. Autumn’s chapters trace her life without Finn as readers follow her struggles with mental health and balancing love and loss. Those who have read the earlier book will better connect with and feel for these characters, particularly since they’ll have a more well-rounded impression of Finn. The pain and anger is well written, and the novel highlights the most troublesome aspects of young adulthood: overconfidence sprinkled with heavy insecurities, fear-fueled decisions, bad communication, and brash judgments. Characters are cued white.
A heavy read about the harsh realities of tragedy and their effects on those left behind. (author’s note, content warning) (Fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: Feb. 6, 2024
ISBN: 9781728276229
Page Count: 416
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Review Posted Online: Jan. 5, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
