An uneven vampiric tale blending themes of revenge, lost Sapphic love, and self-acceptance.
When a high school senior finally decides to confront her former friend—and maybe more—about their fractured relationship, the night spirals into violence.
Poe Parker is tired of being shut out by Jolie Prescott. Determined to get answers, Poe follows Jolie home after a volleyball game, but before they can speak, two vampires drag her into the bushes. They bite Poe even as she screams for Jolie to run. What Poe doesn’t realize is that Jolie has been secretly training as a vampire hunter with her Uncle William. The pair kill Poe’s attackers, but because Poe was bitten, Jolie is obliged to drive a stake into her as well. Later, Poe awakens in her coffin, fully undead, consumed with anger, and determined to take revenge on Jolie for turning her into “a monster.” She has the support of her new vampire nest, and along the way, she uncovers a larger mystery that draws the group together. Dugan introduces intriguing side characters and subplots, but many feel underdeveloped and lack meaningful arcs. The first half of the book is well fleshed out, but as new elements are introduced, it begins to feel rushed. Seaton’s comic book–style artwork enhances the story’s dramatic tone and fast pace, and her strategic use of red for flashback scenes clearly distinguishes past from present. The leads present white, and there’s some racial diversity among the supporting cast.
An uneven vampiric tale blending themes of revenge, lost Sapphic love, and self-acceptance. (Graphic paranormal. 13-18)Pub Date: Aug. 25, 2026
ISBN: 9780593858707
Page Count: 240
Publisher: Putnam
Review Posted Online: April 20, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2026
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
Lush, angsty, queer horror.
When the monsters they imagine come to life, two boys fight for their lives—and each other.
Andrew Perrault, who’s from Australia, writes beautiful, macabre fairy tales. His roommate at his American boarding school, Wickwood Academy, is talented artist Thomas Rye, who brings his stories to vivid life in paint and charcoal. Andrew’s twin sister, Dove, is all but ignoring him, so he has plenty of time to focus on Thomas’ increasingly odd behavior. Thomas’ parents disappeared just before the new school year started, and Andrew noticed blood on his roommate’s sleeve on their first day back. When he follows Thomas into the forest one night, Andrew discovers him fighting one of the monsters that Thomas has drawn from these stories. The boys soon find themselves coping with vicious bullies by day and fighting monsters by night. At the same time, Andrew struggles to reconcile his feelings for Thomas with his growing awareness of his own asexuality. But when the sinister Antler King breaches Wickwood’s walls, Andrew realizes that he and Thomas may not survive their own creations. This novel, written in rich, extravagant prose, features frank portrayals of disordered eating, self-harm, bullying, and mental illness. Andrew grapples realistically with his sexual identity, and the story has ample genuinely creepy moments with the monsters. Andrew, Thomas, and Dove are white.
Lush, angsty, queer horror. (content warning) (Horror. 14-18)Pub Date: Oct. 29, 2024
ISBN: 9781250895660
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Review Posted Online: Aug. 3, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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