A slowly unfolding tragedy rewoven into a beautifully hopeful queer story.
A Sapphic retelling of Greek mythology that centers on Cassandra, a princess of Troy, and Helen, the queen of Sparta, as they carve out a new narrative.
A prophecy foretells that Paris, Cassandra’s brother, will cause the downfall of Troy. In order to help protect their city, Cassandra enters a bargain with Apollo: She agrees to lie with him, and in exchange, he will make her his oracle and grant her the gift of foresight. Complicating matters, Cassandra, who’s cued asexual, enters this arrangement knowing that she’s romantically drawn to women. When Helen and Paris arrive in Troy, the path toward ruin begins to take shape. Cassandra’s visions are relentless, and when she refuses Apollo’s sexual advances, he curses her, ensuring that her warnings are dismissed as hysteria. Helen, too, is trapped; her reputation defines her long before she can speak for herself. The story that unfolds is less about war and more about inevitability, as both young women are forced into roles shaped by men and gods. Still, something sparks between them. The pacing is deliberate, mirroring a storyline that cannot escape its foretold ending. Fitzgerald’s prose is lyrical without losing clarity, prioritizing feelings over action, and the length and leisurely pace allow readers to become fully immersed in the atmosphere. The cast of Greek characters is diverse in appearance.
A slowly unfolding tragedy rewoven into a beautifully hopeful queer story. (character list, author’s note with content warning) (Fantasy. 14-18)Pub Date: Sept. 15, 2026
ISBN: 9781464243110
Page Count: 544
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Review Posted Online: June 1, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2026
BOOK REVIEW
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
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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