Intoxicatingly satisfying.
A warrior embraces the shadows in this follow-up to The Forest King’s Daughter (2025).
Thea, King Silvanus’ fierce daughter, trains hard as a Sylvan Huntsman, employing her quick blade to protect Thirstwood and its forest folk. An uneasy truce between the Sylvans and their former enemies, the Dracu, allows a sliver of peace to settle over the woods while the Huntsmen quell any lingering threats. But more danger looms. Figments of silver trees begin to crop up in Thirstwood, as if seeping through cracks in the realms. Moreover, foreboding, magic-touched dresses start appearing at Thea’s hearth each night, luring the young warrior, who has wavy brown hair and has lost some of her “summer tan,” to wear them. And then there’s Damon, the mysterious, handsome, pale young man who’s cloaked in shadows; he promises answers to all Thea’s worries, including the reasons behind her mother’s disappearance years ago. To save her beloved Thirstwood and uncover the truth, Thea must plunge into the Forgotten Realm of Iluna to confront the shadow king, Erebus, even as she finds herself inexplicably drawn to the charming shadow prince. Like the series opener, this volume smolders thanks to the unlikely pairing of Thea and Damon and the ebbs and flows of their nuanced romance. Still, Thirstwood provides a much more alluring promise, with its unstable hierarchy of magical folk and their ever-evolving relations to one another. The tight pace and intriguing ending strengthen this engrossing tale.
Intoxicatingly satisfying. (map) (Fantasy romance. 14-18)Pub Date: Feb. 10, 2026
ISBN: 9780316396028
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: Nov. 22, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2026
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 heavy read about the harsh realities of tragedy and their effects on those left behind.
In this companion novel to 2013’s If He Had Been With Me, three characters tell their sides of the story.
Finn’s narrative starts three days before his death. He explores the progress of his unrequited love for best friend Autumn up until the day he finally expresses his feelings. Finn’s story ends with his tragic death, which leaves his close friends devastated, unmoored, and uncertain how to go on. Jack’s section follows, offering a heartbreaking look at what it’s like to live with grief. Jack works to overcome the anger he feels toward Sylvie, the girlfriend Finn was breaking up with when he died, and Autumn, the girl he was preparing to build his life around (but whom Jack believed wasn’t good enough for Finn). But when Jack sees how Autumn’s grief matches his own, it changes their understanding of one another. Autumn’s chapters trace her life without Finn as readers follow her struggles with mental health and balancing love and loss. Those who have read the earlier book will better connect with and feel for these characters, particularly since they’ll have a more well-rounded impression of Finn. The pain and anger is well written, and the novel highlights the most troublesome aspects of young adulthood: overconfidence sprinkled with heavy insecurities, fear-fueled decisions, bad communication, and brash judgments. Characters are cued white.
A heavy read about the harsh realities of tragedy and their effects on those left behind. (author’s note, content warning) (Fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: Feb. 6, 2024
ISBN: 9781728276229
Page Count: 416
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Review Posted Online: Jan. 5, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
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