Mild gothic horror for fans of dark academia.
Tara Boone has escaped her mother and is finally going to college.
She wasn’t able to land a spot in the prestigious Magni Viri program at Corbin College, something that comes with a full-ride scholarship, not to mention invaluable connections. But Tara was able to secure a couple of on-campus jobs to help offset her massive student loans, allowing her to major in English for secondary education through the college’s regular track. A forlorn Tara attends classes, goes to work, and tries to ignore her unfriendly roommate, all while being jealous of the enchanting Magni Viri students she sees around campus. When one of the MV students dies under mysterious circumstances, Tara is offered her spot in the coveted academic society. Maybe now she can finally achieve what she’s always wanted: to be a world-famous writer. For the first time in her life, Tara has close friends and feels like she finally belongs somewhere. Unfortunately, her new friends are harboring a huge and deadly secret. This gothic horror story is an enjoyable though at times predictable read. The drawn-out plot lacks enough twists that could keep readers guessing and instead ambles toward an expected, yet still satisfying, conclusion. Despite the bland narrative, readers will empathize with Tara and root for her success and developing self-esteem. The main character is cued white; there’s racial diversity among the supporting characters.
Mild gothic horror for fans of dark academia. (Fantasy. 14-18)Pub Date: Oct. 17, 2023
ISBN: 9780063115965
Page Count: 416
Publisher: HarperTeen
Review Posted Online: Aug. 11, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2023
Black is building a complex mythology; now is a great time to tune in.
Black is back with another dark tale of Faerie, this one set in Faerie and launching a new trilogy.
Jude—broken, rebuilt, fueled by anger and a sense of powerlessness—has never recovered from watching her adoptive Faerie father murder her parents. Human Jude (whose brown hair curls and whose skin color is never described) both hates and loves Madoc, whose murderous nature is true to his Faerie self and who in his way loves her. Brought up among the Gentry, Jude has never felt at ease, but after a decade, Faerie has become her home despite the constant peril. Black’s latest looks at nature and nurture and spins a tale of court intrigue, bloodshed, and a truly messed-up relationship that might be the saving of Jude and the titular prince, who, like Jude, has been shaped by the cruelties of others. Fierce and observant Jude is utterly unaware of the currents that swirl around her. She fights, plots, even murders enemies, but she must also navigate her relationship with her complex family (human, Faerie, and mixed). This is a heady blend of Faerie lore, high fantasy, and high school drama, dripping with description that brings the dangerous but tempting world of Faerie to life.
Black is building a complex mythology; now is a great time to tune in. (Fantasy. 14-adult)Pub Date: Jan. 2, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-316-31027-7
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: Sept. 25, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2017
A taut yet winding mystery that will keep readers guessing.
In this thriller, a flyer on the cheer team at her small-town Texas high school is dragged back into the awful events that claimed her best friend and her boyfriend.
Senior Iris Henley was horrified when her boyfriend, Rocky Koenig, and her former best friend, Lynette Zeiger, were found dead in a presumed murder-suicide the previous school year. She and Lynette, whose drug use was spiraling out of control, had already fallen out, but Iris had no idea Rocky was cheating on her with Lynette. But when anonymous social media posts claim that Iris herself is responsible for their deaths, her life becomes a nightmare of accusations and betrayal. Employing first-person, present-tense narration that feels immediate and anxious, this mystery builds steadily over the course of 25 days during which Iris feels increasingly desperate and unsure whom she can trust. Her troubled relationships with her friends and family are multidimensional and render her a sympathetic and likable narrator, who worries about her own reliability as she was drunk and high the night of the deaths. In particular, a subplot involving Iris’ growing understanding of her younger sister, Noelle, lends emotional depth to this whodunit. The central cast is white, and surnames suggest that some members of the supporting cast are Latine, including Iris’ best friend.
A taut yet winding mystery that will keep readers guessing. (Thriller. 14-18)Pub Date: Feb. 24, 2026
ISBN: 9781250323835
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Wednesday Books
Review Posted Online: Oct. 25, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2025
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