This is great for readers wanting to return to Shadow Falls, but it won’t attract new audience members.
Hunter (Chosen at Nightfall, 2013, etc.) returns to the supernatural school/camp Shadow Falls, switching protagonist from Kylie to Della—there’s a love triangle, naturally.
Della’s efforts to conceal her vampire status have led her family to suspect her of drug use, alienating her from their esteem and affections. An offhand remark leads Della toward a family mystery and a missing uncle (possibly a fellow vampire). Back at Shadow Falls, Della has run-ins with a (hot, mysterious) new vampire, Chase, who competes with Steve, the sexy shape-shifter, for her affections. When Della catches the scent of a killer vampire after a double homicide, she begs the Fallen Research Unit (sort of a supernatural FBI) agent who runs the camp to work the case—it is her dream to work for the FRU. Complicating things, Chase is investigating too. Additional mysteries involve a ghost, Della’s cousin and Della’s health problems (a strange cold that causes her vampire senses to wax and wane—usually in ways that help the mystery plots). The many plotlines don’t overwhelm as they’re all predictable, and many eventually consolidate. Although the worldbuilding assumes readers are familiar with Hunter’s earlier novels, snatches of narration sometimes repeat themselves. The strongest elements are the friendship among Della, Kylie and Miranda and their hilarious (and sometimes-naughty) girl-talk sessions.
This is great for readers wanting to return to Shadow Falls, but it won’t attract new audience members. (Paranormal romance. 14 & up)Pub Date: May 20, 2014
ISBN: 978-1-250-04745-8
Page Count: 400
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
Review Posted Online: May 3, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2014
An entertaining and atmospheric, though sometimes clumsy, exploration of the true cost of beauty.
In this retelling of a classic, a drama student’s obsession with beauty leads her down a dark—and possibly deadly—path.
Eighteen-year-old Penny Paxton is beginning her first year at Dorian Drama Academy in Edinburgh, Scotland, where she hopes to follow in her starlet mother’s footsteps—and earn the love that her mother has never seemed to offer. At Dorian, Penny is mentored by Royal Shakespeare Company legend Orlagh Camran, who makes her the compelling offer of a portrait by the Masked Painter, a mysterious artist with the ability to gift his subjects everlasting youth and beauty. But shortly after Penny’s portrait is complete, several of the Masked Painter’s subjects are found murdered. Fearing that she’s made a terrible mistake and may become the next victim, Penny, who’s gay, begins to investigate the murders with the help of an unlikely ally. As she attempts to uncover the truth surrounding the Masked Painter and the murders, she’s forced to reckon with her own toxic obsession with beauty. This chilling, atmospheric novel, inspired by The Picture of Dorian Gray, is entertaining and full of twists, though some of the reveals feel contrived and some questions are left unanswered. The plot unravels at a leisurely pace but eventually builds to an action-packed (if somewhat convoluted) conclusion. Most characters are cued white.
An entertaining and atmospheric, though sometimes clumsy, exploration of the true cost of beauty. (content note, author’s note, bonus scene) (Fantasy thriller. 14-18)Pub Date: May 26, 2026
ISBN: 9781250346797
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Wednesday Books
Review Posted Online: March 9, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2026
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Black is building a complex mythology; now is a great time to tune in.
Black is back with another dark tale of Faerie, this one set in Faerie and launching a new trilogy.
Jude—broken, rebuilt, fueled by anger and a sense of powerlessness—has never recovered from watching her adoptive Faerie father murder her parents. Human Jude (whose brown hair curls and whose skin color is never described) both hates and loves Madoc, whose murderous nature is true to his Faerie self and who in his way loves her. Brought up among the Gentry, Jude has never felt at ease, but after a decade, Faerie has become her home despite the constant peril. Black’s latest looks at nature and nurture and spins a tale of court intrigue, bloodshed, and a truly messed-up relationship that might be the saving of Jude and the titular prince, who, like Jude, has been shaped by the cruelties of others. Fierce and observant Jude is utterly unaware of the currents that swirl around her. She fights, plots, even murders enemies, but she must also navigate her relationship with her complex family (human, Faerie, and mixed). This is a heady blend of Faerie lore, high fantasy, and high school drama, dripping with description that brings the dangerous but tempting world of Faerie to life.
Black is building a complex mythology; now is a great time to tune in. (Fantasy. 14-adult)Pub Date: Jan. 2, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-316-31027-7
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: Sept. 25, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2017
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