Exciting and endearing.
A 16-year-old who predicts death teams up with a vampire to learn more about her powers.
When her skin touches another’s, Elise Beaumont visualizes and feels the manner of that person’s death. This began five months ago when she foresaw her brother’s imminent drowning. She desperately wants to be rid of this ability until vampire Claire Montgomery tells her that, as the Death Oracle, Elise can change people’s fates. Meanwhile, Claire hates being permanently 17 and a vampire. She agreed to complete one final case as a shepherd for the Veil, so now she’s responsible for teaching Elise and getting her to come work for them. Claire hopes that once she succeeds in this task, the leaders of the Veil will help her finally get the revenge she seeks against Rose, who made her what she is. The mission becomes complicated, though, with an unknown killer on the loose in town and Claire developing romantic feelings for Elise. The girls’ alternating first-person narratives aren’t terribly distinct, but they succeed in expressing their emotions realistically as they grieve, yearn, and grow. Heartfelt friendships with lovable side characters add lightness and charm. The pace is brisk throughout with plenty of thrilling action, even while the romance is a slow burn. Worldbuilding happens naturally, and the paranormal mythos is easy to understand. Elise and Claire are White and queer; side characters are diverse in terms of race, sexuality, and gender identity.
Exciting and endearing. (Paranormal. 13-18)Pub Date: Dec. 7, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-593-35043-0
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Razorbill/Penguin
Review Posted Online: Sept. 28, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2021
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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
A worthy second-chance romance.
In this follow-up to 2021’s Better Than the Movies, a 20-year-old college freshman gets a second chance at his dreams.
After the death of his father and his mother’s subsequent physical and emotional disappearance, Wes Bennett left behind all of his plans and the girl he made them with to go home and take care of Sarah, his younger sister. But now, Sarah has graduated, his mom is back on her feet, and by some miracle, Wes has an offer to pitch for UCLA’s baseball team. Liz Buxbaum, the girl he’s always loved, works for the university’s athletic department, taking photos and video of the team for social media, which means that maybe he can have a second chance at love, too. But since Wes left, Liz has made every effort to protect herself from ever feeling that broken again; there’s no room for love, because she doesn’t believe in it anymore. Or she doesn’t want to. This second-chance sports romance includes fake dates, quippy and quirky best friends, real heartache, and the sweet ache of first love. The clever dialogue keeps readers from drowning in the main characters’ emotional push-and-pull. Reading the first novel isn’t necessary for appreciating this one, although knowing the full history between Wes and Liz will only add to the ache and longing readers feel from and for them. Main characters are cued white.
A worthy second-chance romance. (Romance. 14-18)Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2024
ISBN: 9781665947138
Page Count: 368
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: July 19, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2024
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