An absorbing detective tale, with a bit of romance and a good dose of reality alongside the sorcery.
A murder, an invention that defies magical conventions, and one intrepid reporter who’s on the case.
Nineteen-year-old Vesper Evans, who’s coded Black, is the great-granddaughter of immigrants from the Calida Isles. She’s also everything Victerran society in 1898 dislikes: an unmarried woman, out on her own, working in the public eye as a reporter for The Basalton Globe. And she’s a good reporter, too, adept at reading people and situations. Her latest scoop involves a machine that’s purported to replicate the powers of sorcery, removing barriers like “years of expensive education” previously needed to master the Thaumaric language of incantations and “access arcanic energy.” Shortly after the machine is unveiled, its inventor is murdered. Vesper reluctantly agrees to help suspect Maximilian Kite, a rich young sorcerer, prove his innocence, in exchange for enough money to save the Globe from bankruptcy. As Vesper draws nearer to discovering the killer, she becomes involved in a web of intrigue that encompasses both the city’s underbelly and its upper echelons. Set in a magic-tinged version of the Gilded Age, Vesper’s story folds explorations of feminism and workers’ rights into a classic whodunit. Gray’s blend of fantasy, realism, and mystery elevates the story while leaving room for character development. Vesper is a plucky hero whose story has crossover appeal for readers aging out of the young adult category.
An absorbing detective tale, with a bit of romance and a good dose of reality alongside the sorcery. (Fantasy mystery. 15-adult)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2026
ISBN: 9781250411235
Page Count: 352
Publisher: Balzer + Bray
Review Posted Online: June 1, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2026
A sweet if muddled tale of the magic of Appalachia.
A teenage witch goes up against the evil king of the mountain to save a cursed village.
Witch-in-training Verity Vox has spent a year apiece in different villages, helping in any way she can as she learns her art. When it’s time to move on, she receives a sign that shows her where to go next. When the latest sign appears in the form of a note begging for help that floats down on a leaf, she’s eager for the challenge. Verity winds up in Foxfire, a village in the Appalachian mountains that’s been magically cut off from the rest of the world for years, leaving its people close to starvation. The root of their suffering is a man they know as Earl, who lives in the hills and strikes deals with the townspeople that ultimately cause crops to wither, folks to disappear, and the only bridge out of the valley to crumble. Verity is determined to change the villagers’ fortunes, but to do so she’ll have to face off against not just Earl but the ancient power of the mountains itself. Loosely based on the Germanic Erlking legend and told in a voice reminiscent of folktales, the story features a queer romance and a cast that presents white. The convoluted magic system undercuts the strong themes of reciprocity, poverty, and privilege, but Appalachian readers will instantly recognize home.
A sweet if muddled tale of the magic of Appalachia. (Fantasy. 13-18)Pub Date: Aug. 5, 2025
ISBN: 9798890032706
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Page Street
Review Posted Online: May 30, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2025
SEEN & HEARD
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
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