A rousing adventure with a touch of fantasy and mystery and a lot of heart.
In this YA novel, a teenager uncovers a secret and must confront the evil lurking in the shadows to secure her family’s legacy.
Emmaline O’Byrne is only 14 years old and officially an orphan. Her grandmother Erin is taking her in, but that means moving away from the home she shared with her mother. In her new town, Destiny Bay, Emmaline meets David and Ciara Rickman. The two siblings mention Alastair O’Byrne, an older, mysterious resident. Desperate to locate more relatives after the death of her mother, Emmaline seeks him out. She discovers that he’s her great-uncle, who has information about her family history that will change her life. After finding Alastair’s huge, secret, underground library, she learns that her great-uncle is a Peer of Paladin, charged with filling the place with volumes that have influenced humans and time. “Endless tales occupy these books,” Alastair asserts. “That is why it’s called the Library of Hereafter. Past, present, and future all come together here.” The library also has the power to send Paladins into the books they protect. Unfortunately, Alastair is the last Paladin. At least, he was—now, he can train Emmaline to care for the library after he’s gone. But a dark threat looms: There has been a series of murders in town. Each body was found with strange symbols next to it. Apparently, someone wishes to take over the library and the power and knowledge it contains. Can Emmaline figure out a way to stop this villain? In this engaging series opener, Lyons skillfully introduces readers to the library and its origins, providing plenty of rich, evocative details. The author also creates an intriguing teen hero who loves books. But while Emmaline’s drive to discover as much about her family as possible after losing her mother is understandable, it can feel as if she jumps right into a mission without giving herself enough time to grieve. Instead, the teen seems intent on just trying to replace her mother. Still, the mystery and excitement surrounding the wondrous library and its enigmatic enemies will keep the audience energized. Readers will be eager to find out who can be trusted and who wants to steal the library’s power for themselves.
A rousing adventure with a touch of fantasy and mystery and a lot of heart.Pub Date: Oct. 7, 2025
ISBN: 9781665780957
Page Count: 390
Publisher: Archway Publishing
Review Posted Online: Oct. 7, 2025
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
A descriptive and atmospheric paranormal social thriller that could be a bit tighter.
After a Nigerian British girl goes off to an exclusive boarding school that seems to prey on less-privileged students, she discovers there might be some truth behind an urban legend.
Ife Adebola joins the Urban Achievers scholarship program at pricey, high-pressure Nithercott School, arriving shortly after a student called Leon mysteriously disappeared. Gossip says he’s a victim of the glowing-eyed Changing Man who targets the lonely, leaving them changed. Ife doesn’t believe in the myth, but amid the stresses of Nithercott’s competitive, privileged, majority-white environment, where she is constantly reminded of her state school background, she does miss her friends and family. When Malika, a fellow Black scholarship student, disappears and then returns, acting strangely devoid of personality, Ife worries the Changing Man is real—and that she’s next. Ife joins forces with classmate Bijal and Benny, Leon’s younger brother, to uncover the truth about who the Changing Man is and what he wants. Culminating in a detailed, gory, and extended climactic battle, this verbose thriller tempts readers with a nefarious mystery involving racial and class-based violence but never quite lives up to its potential and peters out thematically by its explosive finale. However, this debut offers highly visually evocative and eerie descriptions of characters and events and will appeal to fans of creature horror, social commentary, and dark academia.
A descriptive and atmospheric paranormal social thriller that could be a bit tighter. (Thriller. 14-18)Pub Date: Sept. 26, 2023
ISBN: 9781250868138
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Review Posted Online: June 8, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2023
BOOK REVIEW
A lackluster and sometimes disturbing mishmash of overused tropes.
The Plague has left a population divided between Elites and Ordinaries—those who have powers and those who don’t; now, an Ordinary teen fights for her life.
Paedyn Gray witnessed the king kill her father five years ago, and she’s been thieving and sleeping rough ever since, all while faking Psychic abilities. When she inadvertently saves the life of Prince Kai, she becomes embroiled in the Purging Trials, a competition to commemorate the sickness that killed most of the kingdom’s Ordinaries. Kai’s duties as the future Enforcer include eradicating any remaining Ordinaries, and these Trials are his chance to prove that he’s internalized his brutal training. But Kai can’t help but find Pae’s blue eyes, silver hair, and unabashed attitude enchanting. She likewise struggles to resist his stormy gray eyes, dark hair, and rakish behavior, even as they’re pitted against each other in the Trials and by the king himself. Scenes and concepts that are strongly reminiscent of the Hunger Games fall flat: They aren’t bolstered by the original’s heart or worldbuilding logic that would have justified a few extreme story elements. Illogical leaps and inconsistent characterizations abound, with lighthearted romantic interludes juxtaposed against genocide, child abuse, and sadism. These elements, which are not sufficiently addressed, combined with the use of ableist language, cannot be erased by any amount of romantic banter. Main characters are cued white; the supporting cast has some brown-skinned characters.
A lackluster and sometimes disturbing mishmash of overused tropes. (map) (Fantasy. 14-18)Pub Date: Nov. 7, 2023
ISBN: 9798987380406
Page Count: 538
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Sept. 9, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2023
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