A robustly imagined, intrinsically queer, and romantic high-fantasy epic.
In the Cursed Kingdom, witches and familiars—humans who can shapeshift into animals—create powerful bonds through elaborate courtship rituals that give them power—and perhaps even bring them love.
A chance encounter with Princess Shaw, a powerful witch known as Death’s Heir for her prophesied leadership in an imminent war, sends Rosamund Holt to the prestigious and elitist school Witch Hall. Rosamund doesn’t want to leave her Gran, who was exiled after she went feral during a wolf shift. She’s also afraid that her robust shifting abilities will mean being drafted by a kingdom she has no interest in going to war for, given how it’s treated her family. Once entrenched in the magical school, Rosamund realizes she’s a powerful familiar and enjoys her studies. She balks when Shaw chooses to court her, however. Rosamund tries to deny her connection with Shaw, and she can’t help wondering what the princess really wants from her. Peopled with queer characters representing the breadth of the gender spectrum, this epic hero’s journey is at turns touchingly romantic and graphically violent. The action unfolds in a vivid and original world that leaves readers with a cliffhanger ending that promises more adventures with the compelling protagonists. Rosamund is light-skinned with “hay-colored hair”; Shaw has “pale sepia skin,” and there’s racial diversity in the supporting cast.
A robustly imagined, intrinsically queer, and romantic high-fantasy epic. (Fantasy. 14-18)Pub Date: Feb. 27, 2024
ISBN: 9781250872456
Page Count: 432
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Review Posted Online: Nov. 17, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2023
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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