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
Exactly what the title promises.
A grieving teen’s devotion to romance films might ruin her chances at actual romance.
Liz Buxbaum has always adored rom-coms, not least for helping her still feel close to her screenwriter mother, who died when she was little. Liz hopes that her senior year might turn into a real-life romantic fantasy, as an old crush has moved back to town, cuter and nicer than ever. Surely she can get Michael to ask her to prom. If only Wes, the annoying boy next door, would help her with her scheming! This charming, fluffy concoction manages to pack into one goofy plot every conceivable trope, from fake dating to the makeover to the big misunderstanding. Creative, quirky, daydreaming Liz is just shy of an annoying stereotype, saved by a dry wit and unresolved grief and anger. Wes makes for a delightful bad boy with a good heart, and supporting characters—including a sassy best friend, a perfect popular rival, even a (not really) evil stepmother—all get the opportunity to transcend their roles. The only villain here is Liz’s lovelorn imagination, provoking her into foolish lies that cause actual hurt feelings; but she is sufficiently self-aware to make amends just in time for the most important trope of all: a blissfully happy ending. All characters seem to be White by default.
Exactly what the title promises. (Romance. 12-18)Pub Date: May 4, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-5344-6762-0
Page Count: 368
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Feb. 22, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2021
BOOK TO SCREEN
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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