A fast-paced, well-researched, clever tale of loyalty, torture, and the power of persistence.
Those who don’t learn history are doomed to repeat it, but what about those who learn history for the sake of changing it?
The court of Henry VIII is a dangerous place to be. Between the king’s outbursts, the queen’s nervousness, and Cromwell’s conniving, it’s a hard place to relax. But redhead Charlie and his identical twin brother, Alex, who is gay, aren’t there to relax. They are there to prevent Henry VIII from marrying Lady Jane Seymour, thus preventing the swell of Catholicism that follows her subsequent death. The twins are actually from the future, where they work for The 48 as Assets, people who are sent to different periods in history to alter timelines according to the wishes of the Termination Order Directorate. The assignment is risky, but Alex and Charlie feel up to the task—until they realize that deception and disloyalty have followed them from their own time period. Hosie (The Devil’s Banshee, 2016, etc.) paints a picture of Tudor England with a carefully detailed brush, bringing the sights and sounds to the forefront while juggling a complex plot and several subplots filled with twists, turns, and torture. The characters, who all present as white and are of varying social classes, fully embody the language and spirit of their times.
A fast-paced, well-researched, clever tale of loyalty, torture, and the power of persistence. (author’s note) (Science fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: Sept. 4, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-8234-3856-3
Page Count: 360
Publisher: Holiday House
Review Posted Online: July 16, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2018
Somberly beautiful.
A girl goes in search of her missing sister and discovers a strange hidden world of dreams.
Corin, who’s 18 and dark-skinned, strives to protect her 12-year-old sister, Elly. But life as a thief is full of struggle, poverty, and loss, even without Corin’s avoidance of other relationships. Elly clings to the promise of fairy tales, like the one that says a princess lies sleeping in an underground castle after pricking her finger on a spindle. After the sisters fight and Elly runs off, Corin searches for her in Gyldan’s old network of tunnels—and finds the tale is true: Cursed Princess Amelia, golden-haired, with eyes like “sea glass” and porcelain skin, lies asleep, surrounded by flowers. Corin enters the princess’ dreamworld—the place “where your subconscious desires come to life.” She meets Briar Rose, Amelia’s alter ego, who experienced her share of sadness and wanted to fall asleep. Also in the dreamworld is green-skinned Malicine, the nonbinary demon who, despite having placed the curse of eternal slumber on Amelia, is mostly friendly. All three are running from things they can’t face, though the dreamworld may not give them a choice. Pham’s debut, a Sapphic reimagining of “Sleeping Beauty,” explores mental health and asks a lot of readers as it seesaws between emotional confrontations, time jumps, and scenes where one character inhabits the memories of another, all of which demand intense engagement. Still, the ending is earned as well as positive.
Somberly beautiful. (content note) (Fantasy. 14-18)Pub Date: June 2, 2026
ISBN: 9798217113026
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Kokila
Review Posted Online: March 9, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2026
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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