A fast-paced narrative packed with edge-of-your-seat action scenes.
An unlikely team of travelers face high-stakes challenges and must defeat an evil god in this sequel to The Sleepless (2025).
Elver, guardian of the Jih Forest, continues to journey alongside the monk Artair, who, when he’s sleeping, shares his body with the soul of Lucian, previously a mage of the god the Bloody Claw. They’re accompanied by Sunay, a mage of the god of lies, Tisk, and Fleet, the keltraxia cub Elver rescued. The group must evade attacks by Mother Maura, who has absorbed and can wield some of the Bloody Claw’s power; she’s determined to hunt down and kill Lucian, who has absorbed the rest of it. Elver experiments with new powers after once again being killed and resurrected by the Queen of Serpents. Her newfound abilities and physical transformations make her a fierce enemy of Maura and the god of purity, Trilot, but they also force her to question who and what she is. Encountering strange characters and challenges along the way, the determined adventurers search for the First of Monsters, the only weapon rumored to be capable of killing a god, in order to finally defeat Maura. This volume resolves cliffhangers from the earlier entry. Fantasy readers will enjoy the comprehensive worldbuilding of Tlevrae, while romance fans will savor the complicated love triangle that develops among Elver, Artair, and Lucian. Characters largely present white.
A fast-paced narrative packed with edge-of-your-seat action scenes. (Fantasy. 14-18)Pub Date: tomorrow
ISBN: 9781250409317
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Wednesday Books
Review Posted Online: Sept. 14, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2026
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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
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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