Lightweight cotton candy.
A cosplayer’s wig transports her to a fantasy world in this re-envisioning of an ’80s franchise.
When 16-year-old Leigh Carroll encounters a mysterious vendor during a comic con, she acquires the final piece she needs for her project: a multicolored pastel wig that’s perfect for her updated version of Lady Lovely Locks. The princess comes from a storybook that once belonged to Leigh’s mother, who vanished when Leigh was a baby. But when Leigh goes home and puts on the wig and costume, she finds herself in the book’s hair-themed fantasy world. There, she’s the new Lady Lovely Locks, with magical helper Pixietails who enable her to travel home. During an encounter with villain Ravenwaves in her tower, Leigh finds a painting of her own mother. She must balance learning about the fantasy world and her mother’s secrets with her real-world obligations and crumbling relationships, especially with her father and her best friend, Ari. The fast-moving, easy-to-read story combines very light romance with more adult financial concerns, and the mixture is sometimes heavy-handed in execution. Leigh’s geek cred rings true and her glib, quippy humor is genre-savvy. Occasionally the story grazes interesting themes, such as referencing fairy tales’ black-and-white morality, but there’s little in-depth exploration of these topics, and the conclusion offers few payoffs, leaving readers to wait for a sequel for answers. Racially ambiguous Leigh, who’s “tanned,” has a “pasty-white” father, and Ari is Black.
Lightweight cotton candy. (Fantasy. 12-16)Pub Date: Feb. 10, 2026
ISBN: 9798894141640
Page Count: 288
Publisher: Running Press Kids
Review Posted Online: Oct. 25, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2025
A lushly written story with an intriguing heart.
After praying to a Fate for help, Evangeline discovers the dangerous world of magic.
When her father passes away, Evangeline is left with her cold stepmother and kind but distant stepsister, Marisol. Despite inheriting a steady trust in magic, belief in her late mother’s homeland of the mystical North (where fantastical creatures live), and philosophy of hope for the future, her dreams are dashed when Luc, her love, pledges to marry Marisol instead. Evangeline desperately prays to the Prince of Hearts, a dangerous and fickle Fate famed for his heart that is waiting to be revived by his one true love—and his potentially lethal kisses. The bargain they strike sends her on a dark and magical journey throughout the land. The writing style fluctuates from clever and original to overly verbose and often confusing in its jumble of senses. While the pervasive magic and concept of the Fates as a religious system add interest, other fantasy elements are haphazardly incorporated without enough time devoted to building a cohesive world. However, the themes of love, the power of story, family influence, and holding onto belief are well rounded and add depth. The plot contains welcome surprises, and the large cast piques curiosity; readers will wish more time was spent getting to know them. Evangeline has rose-gold hair and, like other main characters, reads as White; there is diversity among the fantasy races in this world.
A lushly written story with an intriguing heart. (map) (Fantasy. 12-16)Pub Date: Sept. 28, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-250-26839-6
Page Count: 416
Publisher: Flatiron Books
Review Posted Online: July 27, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2021
Dark, seductive, but over-the-top: Characters and book alike will enthrall those who choose to play.
Garber returns to the world of bestseller Caraval (2017), this time with the focus on younger, more daring sister Donatella.
Valenda, capital of the empire, is host to the second of Legend’s magical games in a single year, and while Scarlett doesn’t want to play again, blonde Tella is eager for a chance to prove herself. She is haunted by the memory of her death in the last game and by the cursed Deck of Destiny she used as a child which foretold her loveless future. Garber has changed many of the rules of her expanding world, which now appears to be infused with magic and evil Fates. Despite a weak plot and ultraviolet prose (“He tasted like exquisite nightmares and stolen dreams, like the wings of fallen angels, and bottles of fresh moonlight.”), this is a tour de force of imagination. Themes of love, betrayal, and the price of magic (and desire) swirl like Caraval’s enchantments, and Dante’s sensuous kisses will thrill readers as much as they do Tella. The convoluted machinations of the Prince of Hearts (one of the Fates), Legend, and even the empress serve as the impetus for Tella’s story and set up future volumes which promise to go bigger. With descriptions focusing primarily on clothing, characters’ ethnicities are often indeterminate.
Dark, seductive, but over-the-top: Characters and book alike will enthrall those who choose to play. (glossary) (Fantasy. 12-16)Pub Date: May 29, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-250-09531-2
Page Count: 464
Publisher: Flatiron Books
Review Posted Online: March 19, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2018
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