For Shakespeare lovers only.
How Shakespeare may have intended Ophelia’s back story, if readers can trudge through the unrelenting moroseness.
The Headmaster of Elsinore Academy is dead, and his son, Dane (formally known as Hamlet Danemark VI), wants revenge. Ophelia narrates this somber Shakespearean retelling set in the present day. It’s clear from the beginning that Ophelia, a product environmentally and genetically of a mother who committed suicide, has mental illness of her own. In her world, spirits of the dead and other fantastical beings make frequent appearances. Hutchison satisfactorily explains the overbearing, patriarchal “trophy wife traditions” of Elsinore and how this environment influences Ophelia’s choices, as well as Gertrude’s possible motives. The emphasis, however, is on Ophelia’s dark (and unfortunately, tedious) descent into madness, exacerbated by her relationship with Dane, who is battling his own demons. Perhaps the original Edward and Bella, the teens’ sexual relationship turns abusive as Ophelia’s initial bruises escalate into more violent acts. Readers may cry out for adult intervention, but the author remains true to the original story. Although Hutchison mentions phones and computers a few times, she does little to make the story feel contemporary. An odd mix of modern and transformed Shakespearean speech adds to the effect. As the novel continues, it loses its creativity and becomes strictly a Hamlet remix.
For Shakespeare lovers only. (Fiction. 14 & up)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2013
ISBN: 978-1-4677-0887-6
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Carolrhoda Lab
Review Posted Online: April 23, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2013
A light and entertaining plot-driven romance.
A Connecticut girl and her best friend devise a series of plans in order to achieve their goals: following a dream and winning back an ex.
Eighteen-year-old Audrey Barbour has a Master Plan: attend Blue Ridge Glass School in North Carolina and someday turn her Etsy shop, Golightly Glass, into a thriving business. But her uber-wealthy parents insist that she instead follow in their footsteps and go to business school. So Audrey decides to go find the tuition money she needs with help from her best friend, Henry Chen. Henry needs a favor, too: He hopes that fake dating Audrey will help him win back his ex-girlfriend, and he points out to a reluctant Audrey that this could make her crush, Griffin, notice her. While Audrey’s parents vacation in France for three weeks, the pair rent out the Barbour mansion on the Long Island Sound. Soon romantic chemistry grows alongside their business partnership. Despite the pair’s great preparation and an abundance of secondary characters with connections and talents to help pull off their increasingly ambitious ideas, plans go awry, leaving Audrey and Henry scrambling and second-guessing their choices. The pacing is even, but the characters often take a back seat to the whirlwind of activity that drives the plot, with the emphasis falling on each person’s practical skills and their role in keeping the action moving over their emotional bonds. Audrey is white, and Henry’s surname cues him as Chinese American.
A light and entertaining plot-driven romance. (Romance. 14-18)Pub Date: March 31, 2026
ISBN: 9780593904794
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Delacorte Romance
Review Posted Online: Dec. 12, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2026
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A character-focused entry that will satisfy fans.
Romantic complications between a trained killer and one of her captors drive this sequel to Watch Me (2025).
Appealing to readers who prefer their romantic dramas to be light on action and heavy on long passages of banter, bitter sibling arguments, and tortured reflections, Mafi continues the tale of Rosabelle Wolff, the flaxen-haired assassin from the dystopic Reestablishment, and magnetic, “impossibly stunning” James Anderson, her nemesis-turned-lover who’s still trying to take down the regime. Now desperate to accomplish several secret missions, Rosa easily escapes from one of The New Republic’s prisons, where she was left in the series opener, and, dressed in “a little kid’s cat onesie,” eludes all pursuers except for James, who can seemingly find her at will. Enigmatic Rosa responds unpredictably to many human contacts—including with violence, temporary death (one of her abilities), or a sudden panic attack. Along with the central pair of rivals and lovers, James’ older brother, Aaron, shares the narration. Bestseller Mafi tucks in several subplots, including, notably, a cameo from Juliette Ferrars, the protagonist of the original Shatter Me series, who’s undergoing a scarily difficult pregnancy. Amid the slowly simmering rising action, the author delivers a revelation and a twist that set up a potential series climax. Some ethnic diversity is present in the supporting cast.
A character-focused entry that will satisfy fans. (Dystopian. 14-adult)Pub Date: April 7, 2026
ISBN: 9780063419056
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Storytide/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: April 7, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2026
© 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.
