An ambitious and satisfying blend of history, mystery, and romance with a sprinkle of magic.
A Renaissance-era painter’s apprentice finds mystery and romance.
In Cotter’s compelling third novel, which is perfect for fans of Mackenzi Lee and F.T. Lukens, 17-year-old Virgil aspires to be a great painter and provide for his family after his abusive father’s death and his older brother Niccolo’s disappearance. In an alternate 15th-century Florence where artists can make blood bargains with angels who have been bound to their workshops, trading memories and life for artistic skills, apprentice Virgil has lost track of how many years he’s bartered away. When his studio’s angel is killed (their bodies are mortal, even if “the demon inside” is not) he realizes that all his acquired advantages are gone. Their new angel, Lupa, refuses to bargain with him, revealing that Virgil has less than a year to live. Discovering that Niccolo may be alive and entangled in the ruling Medicis’ machinations, a desperate Virgil teams up with Lupa and his talented workshop rival, the aggravatingly buoyant Leonardo da Vinci. Together they race against time to uncover a web of horrifying secrets about Niccolo, the Medici family, and Florence’s angels. Along the way, Virgil realizes that his and Leo’s feelings—“mutual dislike and a begrudging respect”—are an altogether different kind of passion. Virgil and Leonardo are nuanced, well-realized characters whose grumpy/sunshine dynamic makes for a delightfully banter-filled rivals-to-lovers romance. Leo and Virgil are coded neurodiverse.
An ambitious and satisfying blend of history, mystery, and romance with a sprinkle of magic. (Historical mystery. 14-18)Pub Date: yesterday
ISBN: 9798347103966
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: July 20, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2026
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 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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