A fun and eclectic combination of genres anchored by a touching gay teen romance.
Corbin presents an enemies-to-lovers teen romance wrapped in elements of SF and fantasy.
Asher Snow is a 17-year-old from the village of Barbshire. One day, he goes to Thicketwood to find a witch who sold him a defective luck charm and finds her trapped under a tree. In exchange for freeing her, she promises one wish, but she can’t secure his desire for peace by halting the impending war with Bishop Falls, the kingdom’s largest city. Asher learns of a political marriage arranged between Prince Hunter Bracken of Barbshire and Gertrude Wicker, the daughter of Bishop Falls’ governor, despite rumors of her city plotting against Barbshire. So, Asher wishes for the prince to fall in love with him. The witch says it will take time and gives him an amulet that bestows confidence, warning him not to overuse it. The witch meets with Prince Hunter, telling him that the royal family’s “Apex Blade” is in the Blue Mountains, and that Asher will guide him to it. Hunter finds Asher and they begin their journey, but they pause after sighting an army readying to attack Barbshire. They eventually reach the mountain, where a hologram named Dr. Cornelius Prim, who agrees to give Hunter the Apex Sword in exchange for Asher taking on the hologram’s knowledge of ancient technologies. The story builds to an explosive climax as Asher and Hunter attempt to turn the tides of the war together. Corbin excels in creating characters with humor and complexity, seamlessly weaving glimpses of Hunter’s and Asher’s home lives throughout the narrative. The author describes environments in beautiful ways that mirror the two’s evolving relationship: “No branch stood alone; each wove into the next, making it impossible to discern where any limb began or ended. Their unbroken embrace reminded Asher of the prince’s arms around him.” The shift in genre from fantasy to SF is intriguing and sets a strong foundation for further installments.
A fun and eclectic combination of genres anchored by a touching gay teen romance.Pub Date: N/A
ISBN: N/A
Page Count: -
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: Nov. 15, 2024
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
An ode to the children of migrants who have been taken away.
A Mexican American boy takes on heavy responsibilities when his family is torn apart.
Mateo’s life is turned upside down the day U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents show up unsuccessfully seeking his Pa at his New York City bodega. The Garcias live in fear until the day both parents are picked up; his Pa is taken to jail and his Ma to a detention center. The adults around Mateo offer support to him and his 7-year-old sister, Sophie, however, he knows he is now responsible for caring for her and the bodega as well as trying to survive junior year—that is, if he wants to fulfill his dream to enter the drama program at the Tisch School of the Arts and become an actor. Mateo’s relationships with his friends Kimmie and Adam (a potential love interest) also suffer repercussions as he keeps his situation a secret. Kimmie is half Korean (her other half is unspecified) and Adam is Italian American; Mateo feels disconnected from them, less American, and with worries they can’t understand. He talks himself out of choosing a safer course of action, a decision that deepens the story. Mateo’s self-awareness and inner monologue at times make him seem older than 16, and, with significant turmoil in the main plot, some side elements feel underdeveloped. Aleman’s narrative joins the ranks of heart-wrenching stories of migrant families who have been separated.
An ode to the children of migrants who have been taken away. (Fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: May 4, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-7595-5605-8
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: Feb. 22, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2021
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A delightfully autumnal small-town romance buoyed by strong characterization.
Ellis Mitchell has her whole life planned out.
Heading into senior year, Ellis plans to study hard and crush it at the journalism internship her media executive dad got her, paving the way for her acceptance to Columbia University. But then Ellis’ parents announce they’re separating—and that Ellis and her mom will be heading to Bramble Falls to stay with her aunt and cousin. Furious that her careful plans have been upended, Ellis struggles to settle into the small, charming Connecticut town even as everyone around her gears up for the annual Falling Leaves Festival. Ellis runs into Cooper Barnett—her long-ago summer friend from visits to Aunt Naomi and cousin Sloane—who’s grown up to be very handsome. But Cooper isn’t pleased to see Ellis; he’s cold and curt, and she has no idea why. Wilson’s YA debut is chock-full of charm. Readers will swoon at Cooper’s and Ellis’ developing feelings following their frosty reunion and sympathize with Ellis’ difficulties even as Bramble Falls grows on her. She must choose between small-town community ties and big-city ambitions—between what her dad wants for her and what she really wants. Ellis’ relationships with her mom, aunt, and cousin are lovely and aspirational. The depiction of Bramble Falls is evocative, and the book contains enough seasonal delights to satisfy even the most devoted pumpkin spice latte lover. Main characters are cued white.
A delightfully autumnal small-town romance buoyed by strong characterization. (Romance. 13-18)Pub Date: Sept. 2, 2025
ISBN: 9781665975209
Page Count: 352
Publisher: McElderry
Review Posted Online: June 13, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2025
BOOK REVIEW
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