An action-packed wrap-up with a timely message at its core.
Twin sisters Saunders and Saunders conclude the Rule of One trilogy with a cinematic finale.
Evading the Rule of One, which makes having more than one child a crime, 18-year-old identical twins Ava and Mira Goodwin lived as one person until they were outed by the villainous Roth family, whose scion, Texas governor Howard S. Roth, presided over his surveillance state with brutal focus. The twins’ very existence sparked a rebellion long in the making. Now it’s been 21 days since the fall of the Texas government, and their home city of Dallas—along with the rest of the state—is unofficial Common territory. The Family Planning Center is reuniting families with their second- (and third-, fourth-, etc.) born children instead of cruelly ripping them apart. However, the Common’s biggest prize, Gov. Roth, has eluded capture. Ava and Mira will go to any lengths to find him, but it won’t be easy, and they’ll need each other more than ever to win this most dangerous game. High stakes and alternating narratives between the twins and others keep the pace brisk, and Ava and Mira continue to explore their individuality, and their newfound power, while leading a revolution in a risky bid to affect change for good. The twins are White, and there is diversity among the supporting cast.
An action-packed wrap-up with a timely message at its core. (Science fiction. 13-17)Pub Date: Oct. 6, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-5420-0829-7
Page Count: 348
Publisher: Skyscape
Review Posted Online: Aug. 17, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2020
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A thrilling story that’s full of darkness and light.
Now that Ren’s and Sunho’s true identities have been exposed, Ren must find a way to bring Sunho home while assuming a role she never wanted.
Ren is no longer a traveling troupe performer. After her Light powers were revealed and she defeated the general who killed her mother, she had to take her rightful place as the Princess of Sareniya and a celestial maiden. Before she can claim the throne, however, Ren needs to find Sunho, the boy she loves. After recovering a memory that revealed the horrific truth about what happened to him and his brother, Sunho succumbed to the pain and rage, fully transforming into the Demon. Working with her new friends and allies, Ren travels far afield, trying everything to bring Sunho back—not only to Sareniya but to his human self. As Ren delves deeper into the politics of the royal court, she discovers that there’s more to the war with Volmar, the demon experiments, her magic, her ancestors, and the world she knew as a child. She’ll have to summon her courage and wit while learning to embrace her true self in order to rid their world of darkness. This is an exciting, action-packed, and fast-paced duology closer, filled with plot twists and a touch of romance. Detailed worldbuilding provides additional context for the East Asian–influenced setting, and the well-developed characters explore a wide range of emotions and internal struggles.
A thrilling story that’s full of darkness and light. (map) (Fantasy. 13-18)Pub Date: Oct. 21, 2025
ISBN: 9781250853110
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Review Posted Online: Sept. 13, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2025
Eerie and mysterious.
Sixteen-year-old orphaned twin sisters become embroiled with a coven of witches.
When the orphanage’s night matron attacks Ophelia and Serena, white-presenting twins “born on either side of midnight,” Serena’s previously untapped magical powers emerge. She sends a bolt of lightning hurtling toward the night matron. Ultimately the twins must be saved by two witches, who reveal that their adversary was a Dark Witch in disguise. Their rescuers—Sagittarius, who has tawny brown skin, jet black hair, and “almond eyes” and can conjure portals, and Leo, a pale-skinned redhead with the power of telekinesis—are part of a coven based on star signs, with new members born each year. The Twelve are duty-bound to kill Dark Witches. After they’re whisked away from the orphanage, the sisters are introduced to other members of the coven, each named for an astrological sign, including ebony-skinned Taurus, who’s their head witch. Ophelia and Serena are pressured to join as Pisces and Aries in order to help the group assemble the strongest force possible for their inevitable battle against the Dark Twelve, who are led by the world’s highest-ranked witch. This atmospheric, pulse-pounding fantasy of sisterhood and witchcraft initially seems like a classic tale of good versus evil but quickly becomes something much more ambiguous but no less chilling. Unfortunately, it can be difficult to differentiate among the large cast due to some of their personalities being underdeveloped.
Eerie and mysterious. (Fantasy. 13-18)Pub Date: Feb. 24, 2026
ISBN: 9780063339552
Page Count: 368
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Dec. 12, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2026
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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