A uniquely twisted if unevenly executed dark fantasy duology opener.
Tainted magic and a father’s twisted nature unite an heir and a runaway.
Like royals before her, Mancella entered the Broken Citadel at age 8 and emerged with the magic to summon animals—albeit at a fearsome price. Over the years since, she’s endured the manipulations of her father, the Prime, hoping that her sacrifices as heir apparent can protect others. Silver, a young thief on the run from the Prime’s draconian Academy, strikes a deal with a shadowy figure to secure a better future for himself. Disguised as a servant, he infiltrates the castle grounds with the goal of seducing and double-crossing Mancella. When her father’s demands cross a line, Mancella is drawn to Silver and the rebellious plot he’s a part of, causing both to vacillate between duty and lust. This gruesome book is not for the faint of heart, but those who can stomach Mancella’s brutal acts of violence toward animals (which are balanced by depictions of the emotional toll of these acts) will find elements to relish. Though Silver’s character development is not as robust as Mancella’s, their romance still simmers. This debut’s worldbuilding and lore are ambitiously sketched but ultimately let down by generic language and other missed opportunities for more robust development. The leads’ alternating first-person narration highlights divisions between the social classes in this vaguely European historical setting. Main characters are cued white.
A uniquely twisted if unevenly executed dark fantasy duology opener. (Fantasy. 14-18)Pub Date: Feb. 4, 2025
ISBN: 9781250331687
Page Count: 368
Publisher: Henry Holt
Review Posted Online: Nov. 23, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2025
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
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
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