A delightful Sapphic historical romance with a social conscience.
In a late-19th-century Britain in which queer relationships are normalized, a lord’s dutiful daughter is inexorably drawn to an outspoken American.
Two of Lord Tallon’s daughters (Marigold and Dani) are attracted to women, and two (Freya and Angelica) favor men. Lacking sons, he needs a daughter to marry a titled man and bear a grandson to be his heir. Freya receives most of the pressure—Angelica has only daughters, and children adopted by two women cannot inherit. Ivy Yada-Lovell, a Sapphic American poetess with a scandalous reputation, joins her newly minted viscount brother at a neighboring manor and immediately falls for Freya. Despite Lord Tallon’s expectations and his contempt for Ivy’s outspoken support of women’s rights, Freya tumbles headlong into her first same-sex romance. Ivy, meanwhile, finds her yearning for Freya extends to the Tallon sisters’ loving family life. Can they overcome the obstacles in their path? Despite being set in the late Victorian era, the lack of mention of the era’s technology gives the setting more of a Regency feeling. This effervescent romance features an evocatively built world, strong, sympathetic characters, and sweet moments of yearning and connection. A pervasive theme in the book centers on queer women’s lack of inheritance rights. Familiar historical romance tropes abound, and the intimate moments are chaste. Freya’s family is cued white, Ivy is of English and Japanese descent, and there’s diversity in gender identity and ethnicity among the supporting cast.
A delightful Sapphic historical romance with a social conscience. (Historical romance. 14-18)Pub Date: Nov. 4, 2025
ISBN: 9781250356314
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Wednesday Books
Review Posted Online: Sept. 13, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2025
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
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
© Copyright 2025 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.
