An imaginative take on the teen-vampire trope with plenty of action and romance and a compelling antihero.
In Kelly’s novel, a vampire hunts for treasure on a haunted island in a desperate attempt to protect herself from those who want her dead.
Lola Monteux may look 16 years old, but she’s far from it. A vampire on the run from her old comrades, she lands on Duchesne Island in search of the Well of Souls treasure—rumored to grant invincibility to its possessor. In her attempt to locate the treasure, Lola meets Gael Smith, a teenage boy whose family is struggling to make ends meet amid his younger brother’s cancer diagnosis. His ancestor originally discovered the famed Duchesne Island treasure, but Lola soon convinces Gael that more riches must be buried deeper beneath the “treasure tree” on his property. The two embark on a secretive dig, despite the prying eyes of the suspicious Captain Greyson. Complications soon arise, both with the arrival of Lola’s vampire frenemies and their entering into an uneasy (and temporary) truce and by Lola’s growing romantic feelings for Gael. As her old humanity starts to present cracks in her soulless-vampire facade, Lola will be forced to make a choice between what she is and who she wants to be. Kelly manages to imbue Lola with the lofty air of an old vampire and the surliness of a teenager in equal measure—an unlikely combination that will surely endear her to readers. In a YA paranormal/supernatural genre that can be overcrowded, Kelly includes enough unique details—such as Lola’s surprising skin care routine—to differentiate this book from the vampire-novel rabble: “She’d mainly brought skin products: rich creams and serums designed to keep this body youthful. It was essential to keep up proper skincare when your skin was always on the verge of rotting off…Her regime of creams helped smooth her skin, but nothing healed like human blood.” The romance subplot will come as a surprise to absolutely no one but should satisfy YA audiences nonetheless.
An imaginative take on the teen-vampire trope with plenty of action and romance and a compelling antihero.Pub Date: Dec. 25, 2023
ISBN: 978-1738863365
Page Count: 282
Publisher: ISBN CANADA
Review Posted Online: Feb. 12, 2024
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
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
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
