Inventive worldbuilding and a distinctive protagonist make for a solid debut.
A girl battles dangers both natural and supernatural to save her sister.
Jorie’s a scavenger, looting corpses of unwise treasure hunters who die on the deadly Ice Flats. A dangerous Rover shows up looking for a possession on the latest body—and when it isn’t there, he takes Jorie’s sister, Brenna, instead. To retrieve Brenna, Jorie must bring what the Rover’s after to Nocna Mora, a former mining colony now rumored to host outlaws and monsters. Accompanying Jorie (whether she likes it or not) is Cody, a privileged, University-raised Southerner who came north with his now-missing uncle on a quest to find a long-lost, mythical city. Academic, dreamy Cody has romanticized notions of the North and its magical legends while practical Jorie tries to be as cold and relentless as the everlasting winter where she lives. The well-crafted settings use a variety of frozen landscapes, providing dangers and keeping the story grounded while giving it a strong sense of forward motion and progress. Jorie’s first-person voice is distinctive without being distracting and well utilized in showing her emotional arc. The physical story—pitting the duo against threats from nature, animals, and humans as they uncover the truths behind the legends—is straightforward (and a tad predictable) but has enough varied beats to keep reader interest up to a stand-alone–worthy conclusion. The characters default to White.
Inventive worldbuilding and a distinctive protagonist make for a solid debut. (Fantasy. 12-18)Pub Date: Feb. 9, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-5344-6569-5
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Nov. 25, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2020
An intoxicating, tightly plotted feast for the senses with a dramatic cliffhanger.
A vengeful Sicilian witch forges an unlikely alliance resulting in epic, supernatural consequences.
Eighteen-year-old Emilia di Carlo and her twin sister, Vittoria, have a secret: They are streghe, trained from a young age to use magic. Emilia is as introverted and romantic as her sister is bold and irreverent, but they share a love of good food and a disregard for their grandmother’s warnings about the devil and his brothers. Known as the Malvagi or Wicked, the seven princes of Hell have not been seen in years until tragedy strikes and a foray into forbidden magic accidentally summons the Prince of Wrath: Three witches—including Vittoria—are dead, and Emilia is desperate to avenge her sister and stop the killings. An uneasy truce with Wrath soon blossoms into a tantalizing, dangerous attraction with an uneven power dynamic. Rich worldbuilding constructs a post-unification Kingdom of Italy in which witches, demons, and shape-shifters live—and battle—among oblivious humans in a society strongly influenced by the Catholic brotherhood in its midst. Several significant plot points unfold in a Capuchin monastery and its eerie catacombs, and the brotherhood's conflation of witchcraft with the devil is emphasized throughout. Most characters are cued as White—Emilia and her sister have brown eyes and hair and olive skin—while the dark-haired Wicked have golden skin.
An intoxicating, tightly plotted feast for the senses with a dramatic cliffhanger. (map) (Historical fantasy. 12-18)Pub Date: Oct. 27, 2020
ISBN: 978-0-316-42846-0
Page Count: 448
Publisher: Jimmy Patterson/Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: Aug. 17, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2020
BOOK REVIEW
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Romantic and enchanting.
After years of running, two women fight to save their kingdoms and their lives.
At the end of Beneath These Cursed Stars (2024), Jasalyn and Felicity went missing. Jasalyn was trapped by the magic of a ring connected to Mordeus that she’d believed to be her salvation. Fearing for the safety of Kendrick and her family, she used the ring’s power to leave. Meanwhile, Felicity, who’s posing as Jasalyn, is living with Misha, the king of the Wild Fae; he discovers her deception, but she’s taken by someone else, vanishing without a trace. The ring’s power puts Jasalyn to sleep for months, while Felicity lies in an Eloran dungeon in a dream state. They awaken to find they have just 11 days to ensure that Mordeus is truly dead before Jas’ 18th birthday, when the deal she made with a witch for the ring comes into effect, claiming her life. Both women struggle with feeling the weight of fate on their shoulders and loving men they aren’t sure they deserve. This duology closer explores destiny, tough decisions, and the uncertainty of the future through parallel romantic journeys—one filled with slow-burn tension and the other with fear and desire. Ryan’s writing is rich and engaging, although the story isn’t as exciting as the first novel. Each of the love stories gives readers something to cheer for even as good battles evil. Main characters largely read white, and Misha has “golden” skin.
Romantic and enchanting. (map) (Fantasy. 13-18)Pub Date: July 22, 2025
ISBN: 9780063311954
Page Count: 464
Publisher: Storytide/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: May 3, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2025
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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