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: Sept. 22, 2026
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 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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