Hits all the marks for an absorbing and high-spirited read.
Coming from a long line of dragon slayers doesn’t mean that sisters Dani and Eden Rivera are on the same path: Are they destined to be enemies for eternity?
Dani had a normal life. Mostly. She had a summer job lined up working a zip line in the Smoky Mountains and an end-of-school-year party to attend. Of course there’s the little secret of her family’s being legendary dragon slayers—and some superfancy sorcerers coming to dinner. But when Dani has her first encounter with a real dragon, Nox, she ends up soul bonded to him. Being friendly with dragons is a bad look for a dragon slayer, so how will she explain her way out of this one? After learning about her sister’s new dragon friend, Eden, who believes dragons are a scourge on humanity, decides she has to do something to save Dani. With their parents out of town, Eden calls high sorcerer Calla Thorn for help, leading her into danger and pitting sister against sister. This exciting, inclusive fantasy with a dash of romance brings lots of sassy dragon snark to the table. The action sequences are fast-paced, the magic is entertaining, and the narcissistic sorcerers are delightfully smug, evil—and fabulously dressed. Point-of-view shifts between the siblings render both equally sympathetic. The girls are fourth-generation Mexican American on their mother’s side; their father is a White Scottish immigrant.
Hits all the marks for an absorbing and high-spirited read. (Fantasy. 14-18)Pub Date: June 8, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-358-32973-2
Page Count: 432
Publisher: HMH Books
Review Posted Online: April 13, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2021
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A compelling romance inhabited by complex and appealing characters.
When star hockey player Alec Barczewski’s estranged childhood friend, Dani Collins, moves to town, they end up in a mutually beneficial fake-dating relationship that reignites old feelings.
Following her parents’ divorce, Dani and her mom move in with Dani’s hockey legend grandfather in Southview, Minnesota, where she spent a month every summer as a child and where her friendship with Alec grew. Between visits, the two were pen pals, but they eventually fell out of touch. Despite some tensions over their loss of friendship, the high school seniors reconnect. Desperate to get off Harvard’s waitlist, Dani needs another extracurricular activity, while Alec—whose reputation took a hit when a photo of him holding a bong appeared on social media—is eager to improve his tarnished image for NHL scouts. The pair strike a deal: They’ll fake date, making Alec look like a stable guy whose academically gifted girlfriend is related to hockey royalty, and in exchange, he’ll get Dani a team manager position that will catch the eye of Harvard’s admissions officers. Eventually, complicated feelings about their past, stressful family relationships, and their brewing romance boil over. Romance fans will love the deliciously tension-filled scenes between Alec and Dani, who are believable friends with heavy demands weighing on them. They feel like real teenagers, and readers will enjoy rooting for them as the well-paced story unfolds. Main characters present white.
A compelling romance inhabited by complex and appealing characters. (Romance. 14-18)Pub Date: Sept. 30, 2025
ISBN: 9781665921268
Page Count: 448
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Aug. 2, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2025
SEEN & HEARD
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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