A slow-burning, classic tale with too few fireworks at the end.
A young girl with the power of fire running through her veins must save a kingdom ruled by the evil Frost King.
Ruby Otrera lives an isolated life with her mother, hiding her reviled power from the villagers nearby: she’s a Fireblood. In a land ruled by Frostbloods, Firebloods are hunted. Ruby can barely control her powers, and when the Frost King’s soldiers arrive, she can’t stop them from killing her mother and locking her in Blackcreek Prison. Nearly half a year passes before two robed Frostbloods appear and offer her freedom in exchange for helping them remove the Frost King. Soon Ruby finds herself at Forwind Abbey in the care of monks. Brother Thistle tries to teach her how to control her powers in preparation for her task. Arcus, the only lay plotter involved, keeps his face hidden but makes his mistrust clear. As Ruby finds a new home at the abbey, soldiers continue to hunt for her. And it isn’t long before she’s made to face the throne and learn her true role in both the monks’ and the Frost King’s plans. Ruby’s a spitfire who faces her challenges with grit, but her love interest and his surprises are predictable. Backed by a strong mythology, Ruby’s story stands to be reinvigorated in the sequel if a dynamic villain is delivered and the romance takes a back seat. Ruby is relatively pale-skinned in comparison to blue-eyed Brother Thistle; racial difference in this fantasy world cuts along Fireblood/Frostblood lines.
A slow-burning, classic tale with too few fireworks at the end. (Fantasy. 13 & up)Pub Date: Jan. 17, 2017
ISBN: 978-0-316-27325-1
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: Oct. 18, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2016
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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
A worthy second-chance romance.
In this follow-up to 2021’s Better Than the Movies, a 20-year-old college freshman gets a second chance at his dreams.
After the death of his father and his mother’s subsequent physical and emotional disappearance, Wes Bennett left behind all of his plans and the girl he made them with to go home and take care of Sarah, his younger sister. But now, Sarah has graduated, his mom is back on her feet, and by some miracle, Wes has an offer to pitch for UCLA’s baseball team. Liz Buxbaum, the girl he’s always loved, works for the university’s athletic department, taking photos and video of the team for social media, which means that maybe he can have a second chance at love, too. But since Wes left, Liz has made every effort to protect herself from ever feeling that broken again; there’s no room for love, because she doesn’t believe in it anymore. Or she doesn’t want to. This second-chance sports romance includes fake dates, quippy and quirky best friends, real heartache, and the sweet ache of first love. The clever dialogue keeps readers from drowning in the main characters’ emotional push-and-pull. Reading the first novel isn’t necessary for appreciating this one, although knowing the full history between Wes and Liz will only add to the ache and longing readers feel from and for them. Main characters are cued white.
A worthy second-chance romance. (Romance. 14-18)Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2024
ISBN: 9781665947138
Page Count: 368
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: July 19, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2024
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