Sluggish pacing and an overwhelming number of characters will once again test fans’ devotion to this paranormal-romance series.
When readers last saw Aden Stone, he’d been turned into a vampire by his girlfriend, vampire princess Victoria, in a desperate attempt to save him after being stabbed by his best friend Mary Ann’s ex-boyfriend Tucker, who was being controlled by Victoria’s father, Vlad the Impaler. Yes, really. The soap opera continues as Aden and Victoria nearly kill each other by cross-feeding their blood back and forth. As Aden’s vampiric powers increase, Victoria becomes more human, losing her mind-controlling voice, teleportation abilities and diamond-hard skin—but gaining empathy and a truly tender heart. Meanwhile, Mary Ann has fled to Tulsa, Okla., (demonic Tucker and devoted shape-shifter Riley following close behind) to research the three supernaturally powered souls living in Aden’s consciousness, hoping to purge them from his mind. Both Aden and Mary Ann face a variety of brutal vengeance-seekers, including Victoria’s long-lost brother Sorin, witches, fairies and, once again, Vlad the Impaler. Showalter’s strength is in playing with conventions of various paranormal mythologies. Plotting and cast management, not so much: The pace here might charitably be called stately, while her cast of characters threatens to spill out of these overstuffed pages.
Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2011
ISBN: 978-0-373-21038-1
Page Count: 576
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Review Posted Online: Aug. 2, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2011
A compelling romance inhabited by complex and appealing characters.
When star hockey player Alec Barczewski’s estranged childhood friend, Dani Collins, moves to town, they end up in a mutually beneficial fake-dating relationship that reignites old feelings.
Following her parents’ divorce, Dani and her mom move in with Dani’s hockey legend grandfather in Southview, Minnesota, where she spent a month every summer as a child and where her friendship with Alec grew. Between visits, the two were pen pals, but they eventually fell out of touch. Despite some tensions over their loss of friendship, the high school seniors reconnect. Desperate to get off Harvard’s waitlist, Dani needs another extracurricular activity, while Alec—whose reputation took a hit when a photo of him holding a bong appeared on social media—is eager to improve his tarnished image for NHL scouts. The pair strike a deal: They’ll fake date, making Alec look like a stable guy whose academically gifted girlfriend is related to hockey royalty, and in exchange, he’ll get Dani a team manager position that will catch the eye of Harvard’s admissions officers. Eventually, complicated feelings about their past, stressful family relationships, and their brewing romance boil over. Romance fans will love the deliciously tension-filled scenes between Alec and Dani, who are believable friends with heavy demands weighing on them. They feel like real teenagers, and readers will enjoy rooting for them as the well-paced story unfolds. Main characters present white.
A compelling romance inhabited by complex and appealing characters. (Romance. 14-18)Pub Date: Sept. 30, 2025
ISBN: 9781665921268
Page Count: 448
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Aug. 2, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2025
SEEN & HEARD
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
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