Layered and lush; an expertly woven tapestry.
In a world where godlike Players in the Great Game change things in an instant, 15-year-old Burr has only ever known one castle, the steady backdrop to a quiet, bucolic farming life.
Players who have abandoned their earthly forms move castles about, seeking power and heedlessly bringing new masters and demands into people’s lives. Burr and his community find everything suddenly upended when the familiar brown castle they’ve always known is gone, replaced by one made of red stone. It’s “one of those unlikelihoods, like finding treasure, or being eaten by a wolf…It could happen, except it didn’t. Until all of a sudden it did.” When the new lord takes the villagers’ winter stores, leaving them to face starvation, Burr’s kindly father’s plan to secure food for his motherless children goes awry, and he’s hanged. A newly orphaned Burr, desperate to protect his younger sisters, is forced to publicly denounce his father. But when the castles shift again, it’s his turn to lead a rebellion, albeit reluctantly. Burr must navigate the instability of shifting strongholds, precarious alliances, and potential traitors. Rich in worldbuilding, wordplay, and a deep sense of humanity, Hardinge’s latest, which is set in an alternate medieval Europe, explores complex themes, including the incredible fragility of trust, the weight of individual sacrifices for the greater good, and questions of who should be entrusted with power. Each character is so fully realized that, even when their motives are unknown, their actions ring true.
Layered and lush; an expertly woven tapestry. (Fantasy. 13-adult)Pub Date: Sept. 8, 2026
ISBN: 9781419794148
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Amulet/Abrams
Review Posted Online: May 18, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2026
PROFILES
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
In addition to the supernatural elements, Brosgol interweaves some savvy insights about the illusion of perfection and...
A deliciously creepy page-turning gem from first-time writer and illustrator Brosgol finds brooding teenager Anya trying to escape the past—both her own and the ghost haunting her.
Anya feels out of place at her preppy private school; embarrassed by her Russian heritage, she has worked hard to lose her accent and to look more like everyone else. After a particularly frustrating morning at the bus stop, Anya storms off, only to accidentally fall down a well. Down in the dark hole, she meets Emily, a ghost who claims to be a murder victim trapped down in the dank abyss for 90 years. With Emily’s help, Anya manages to escape, though once free, she learns that Emily has traveled out with her. At first, Emily seems like the perfect friend; however, once her motives become clear, Anya learns that “perfect” may only be an illusion. A moodily atmospheric spectrum of grays washes over the clean, tidy panels, setting a distinct stage before the first words appear. Brosgol’s tight storytelling invokes the chilling feeling of Neil Gaiman’s Coraline (2002), though for a decidedly older set.
In addition to the supernatural elements, Brosgol interweaves some savvy insights about the illusion of perfection and outward appearance. (Graphic supernatural fiction. 12 & up)Pub Date: June 7, 2011
ISBN: 978-1-59643-552-0
Page Count: 224
Publisher: First Second
Review Posted Online: April 18, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2011
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
