Despite being slow to start and suffering from a flat love interest, this book features an exciting ending.
Sixteen-year-old Charlie Hudson is deeply mourning the loss of her identical twin sister two years earlier.
To distract herself, she practices magic tricks, enjoying the feeling of surprising people with her sleight of hand. But when classmates start vanishing—leaving behind only their abandoned shoes hanging from trees whose trunks have been carved with strange symbols—Charlie launches her own investigation. Her search leads her to Elias Everheart, a mysterious and handsome boy who’s a new senior at her school. He immediately wins over everyone except suspicious Charlie. One day, she follows him into the forest where she discovers his shocking secret. Elias draws Charlie into a hidden world of woodland beings and ancient Norse magic—one that puts her life in danger. To explain her increasing time with Elias, Charlie tells her friends they’re dating, a lie that spirals out of control. As she and Elias hunt for the cause of the disappearances, they become embroiled in a battle that could destroy the world. Readers who persist past the slow beginning will find the book’s final third is a thrill ride. As a love interest, Elias unfortunately lacks charm, and his dialogue feels unnatural. The real highlight is the vätte, a tiny, gnomelike creature who’s obsessed with chocolate chip cookies and the TV show The Witcher. Most characters present white.
Despite being slow to start and suffering from a flat love interest, this book features an exciting ending. (content warning) (Fantasy. 14-18)Pub Date: July 29, 2025
ISBN: 9781250342966
Page Count: 352
Publisher: Wednesday Books
Review Posted Online: April 19, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2025
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 fantasy with complex characterization that will build anticipation for the next entry.
Three young people find their places in a world of vengeance and destiny in National Book Award winner Tahir’s duology opener set in the multicultural world of her An Ember in the Ashes series.
Aiz, from the impoverished nation of Kegar, seeks revenge against Tiral bet-Hiwa, an air squadron commander who, as a child, murdered Aiz’s fellow orphans. Guided by a voice claiming to be Mother Div, Kegar’s first queen, Aiz escapes imprisonment after her failed assassination attempt on Tiral and embarks on a journey to free Mother Div’s trapped spirit. In the Martial Empire, Sirsha, a skilled tracker with magical abilities who’s been banished from her homeland, is saved by a stranger who hires her to hunt an unnatural killer. Quil, the crown prince of the Martial Empire, faces an invasion by the Kegari and the lingering threat of a mysterious force responsible for recent murders, including those of two of his loved ones. As the storylines converge, Sirsha and Quil cross paths, leading to revelations about the insidious force. The story explores the blurred line between good and evil and the lengths one will go to for a better life. Tahir’s deep and intricate worldbuilding requires time for readers to fully grasp. Following a slow start, the plot engages as pieces fall into place, leading up to an unexpected ending. The beautiful writing compensates for the romantic relationships, which develop quickly and somewhat inorganically.
A fantasy with complex characterization that will build anticipation for the next entry. (Fantasy. 14-18)Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2024
ISBN: 9780593616949
Page Count: 496
Publisher: Putnam
Review Posted Online: July 19, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2024
SEEN & HEARD
SEEN & HEARD
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