Intense.
A sheltered New England teen exploited for her gift decides she wants to live a normal life—and in the process discovers the consequences.
Eighteen-year-old Portuguese-American Marlena is known as Marlena the Saint because of her unique ability to heal people through her touch. Her controlling mother determines what behaviors and clothing will maintain her holy reputation, but Marlena’s desire to know the world grows stronger than her fear of disappointing her mother, especially once she finds out that she is charging money for the healings. With help from a few allies, including her gay friend Helen, Marlena sets out to experience the forbidden: partying, wearing a bikini, having a cellphone. She falls in love and, through physical intimacy, learns comfort with the body she was taught to associate with shame. But her joy comes to a halt when she discovers that someone she loves is sick. Marlena tries to do penance so that the angry, punishing God she was taught to believe in will restore her gift. Marlena’s straightforward present-tense narration is disorienting at first but becomes hypnotic after a few chapters. Some readers will enjoy exploring large questions about God, faith, and the meaning of life alongside the confused, questioning protagonist. Some may bristle at the mixture of the profane and the sacred. Whether empathizing with her or annoyed with her overdone rebellion, readers will be left reflecting.
Intense. (Fiction. 16-18)Pub Date: Oct. 9, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-06-266211-8
Page Count: 400
Publisher: HarperTeen
Review Posted Online: June 23, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2018
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A soapy ending that will satisfy returning fans.
A young woman faces difficult decisions in the final volume of Argentinian author Ron’s trilogy.
This uncredited translation of a text originally published in 2021 opens a week after the events of Tell Me in Secret (2026). Julian, who deceived, stalked, and sexually assaulted Kami, has disappeared and is yet to be held accountable for his actions. Kami’s lust for Thiago has intensified even though she’s still dating his brother, Taylor, deepening her feelings of guilt and shame. The brothers, who are hardly speaking to each other, are so focused on keeping Kami safe from Julian that they cross the line from protective to overbearing and controlling. Taylor, already jealous of the closeness between Kami and Thiago, has his suspicions confirmed when one of Kami’s friends waspishly reveals her conflicted feelings. Raging and upset, Taylor lashes out physically at Thiago and breaks up with Kami. Thiago and Kami naturally grow closer; he reassures her that “there’s nothing wrong with loving” and that she wouldn’t be in this predicament if she “didn’t have so much love to give.” Then, devastating events change the trio’s lives forever. Although this entry features some improvements in character development (when it comes to Thiago, in particular) the one-note antagonists with their uninteresting melodramatics come across as absurd, undermining the impact of darker plot twists. Still, the resolution effectively wraps up this mediocre series. Central characters read white.
A soapy ending that will satisfy returning fans. (publisher’s note, content warning) (Romance. 16-18)Pub Date: May 5, 2026
ISBN: 9781464234330
Page Count: 350
Publisher: Bloom Books
Review Posted Online: April 6, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2026
A thrilling romance that could use more even pacing.
For the second time in her life, Leo must choose between her family and true love.
Nineteen-year-old Princess Leonie Kolburg’s royal family is bankrupt. In order to salvage the fortune they accrued before humans fled the frozen Earth 170 years ago, Leonie’s father is forcing her to participate in the Valg Season, an elaborate set of matchmaking events held to facilitate the marriages of rich and royal teens. Leo grudgingly joins in even though she has other ideas: She’s invented a water filtration system that, if patented, could provide a steady income—that is if Leo’s calculating Aunt Freja, the Captain of the ship hosting the festivities, stops blocking her at every turn. Just as Leo is about to give up hope, her long-lost love, Elliot, suddenly appears onboard three years after Leo’s family forced her to break off their engagement. Donne (Brightly Burning, 2018) returns to space, this time examining the fascinatingly twisted world of the rich and famous. Leo and her peers are nuanced, deeply felt, and diverse in terms of sexuality but not race, which may be a function of the realities of wealth and power. The plot is fast paced although somewhat uneven: Most of the action resolves in the last quarter of the book, which makes the resolutions to drawn-out conflicts feel rushed.
A thrilling romance that could use more even pacing. (Science fiction. 16-adult)Pub Date: Feb. 4, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-328-94894-6
Page Count: 400
Publisher: HMH Books
Review Posted Online: Nov. 9, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2019
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