An entertaining and timely spin on a familiar setup.
Lourey’s dystopian novel emphasizes the value of communities and how they can dismantle local injustice.
Rose Allgood is lucky to be a citizen of Noah’s Valley; at least, that’s what she tries to remind herself as she walks down the aisle on her wedding day. The marriage is prearranged, as most everything is in the community, in which the remnants of humanity find sanctuary from a world that’s now a wasteland.Her wedding, however, is interrupted by a scuffle in the crowd. Once the crimson cloaks of the spectators have parted, Rose sees her mother lying in a pool of blood, and her twin brother, Jonas, standing above her with a blade in his hand. Only minutes before, Jonas had promised to tell Rose the secret truth of Noah’s Valley, whispering, “We’re not what you think, Rose,” but soon, he’s sentenced to death as a Harvest sacrifice. With hardly a moment to breathe, Rose weds Gryphon Tzu, son of Jarek Tzu, the lead Elder who tyrannizes the Valley. While adjusting to her new marriage, home, and in-laws, she begins to uncover new information about her family members’ deaths. She soon finds herself entering a rabbit hole of investigation that reveals the origins of the Valley and the deep corruption that sustains it. As something begins to cull the population, Rose must put herself in danger in order to unite and ultimately liberate herself and her fellow citizens. Many contemporary dystopian archetypes are present in Lourey’s novel—including an insular society kept within walls, divided into craft-based sects, and a council of shadowy elders keeping them all in line—but the conspiracy at the center of it all is pertinent to current anxieties over wealth inequality and corporate deregulation. The deft prose is enlivened by action sequences, as well, which are sure to draw readers into the central mystery. A fundamental question arises for readers to ponder: Can communities founded on the principles of injustice produce good and truly righteous people—and what happens if they do?
An entertaining and timely spin on a familiar setup.Pub Date: yesterday
ISBN: 9781682816455
Page Count: 416
Publisher: Entangled Publishing
Review Posted Online: Feb. 25, 2026
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
An affecting portrait of a prickly woman.
A lifetime’s worth of letters combine to portray a singular character.
Sybil Van Antwerp, a cantankerous but exceedingly well-mannered septuagenarian, is the titular correspondent in Evans’ debut novel. Sybil has retired from a beloved job as chief clerk to a judge with whom she had previously been in private legal practice. She is the divorced mother of two living adult children and one who died when he was 8. She is a reader of novels, a gardener, and a keen observer of human nature. But the most distinguishing thing about Sybil is her lifelong practice of letter writing. As advancing vision problems threaten Sybil’s carefully constructed way of life—in which letters take the place of personal contact and engagement—she must reckon with unaddressed issues from her past that threaten the house of cards (letters, really) she has built around herself. Sybil’s relationships are gradually revealed in the series of letters sent to and received from, among others, her brother, sister-in-law, children, former work associates, and, intriguingly, literary icons including Joan Didion and Larry McMurtry. Perhaps most affecting is the series of missives Sybil writes but never mails to a shadowy figure from her past. Thoughtful musings on the value and immortal quality of letters and the written word populate one of Sybil’s notes to a young correspondent while other messages are laugh-out-loud funny, tinged with her characteristic blunt tartness. Evans has created a brusque and quirky yet endearing main character with no shortage of opinions and advice for others but who fails to excavate the knotty difficulties of her own life. As Sybil grows into a delayed self-awareness, her letters serve as a chronicle of fitful growth.
An affecting portrait of a prickly woman.Pub Date: May 6, 2025
ISBN: 9780593798430
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Crown
Review Posted Online: Feb. 15, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2025
A dark and twisty look at just how far one woman is willing to go to find inspiration.
A struggling writer finds an unexpected muse when a mysterious man shows up at her cabin.
Petra Rose used to pump out a bestselling book every six months, but then the adaptation happened—that is, the disastrous film adaptation of her most famous book. The movie changed the book’s storyline so egregiously that fans couldn’t forgive her, and the ensuing harassment sent Petra into hiding and gave her a serious case of writer’s block. Petra’s one hope is her solo writing retreat at a remote cabin, where she can escape the distractions of real life and focus on her next book, a story about a woman having an affair with a cop. When officer Nathaniel Saint shows up at her cabin door, inspiration comes flooding back. Much like the character from Petra’s book, Saint is married, and he’s willing to be Petra’s muse, helping her get into her characters’ heads. Petra’s book is practically writing itself, but is the game she’s playing a little too dangerous? Does she know when to stop—and, more importantly, is Saint willing to stop? Hoover is no stranger to controversial movie adaptations and internet backlash, but she clarifies in a note to readers that she’s “just a writer writing about a writer” and that no further connections to her own life are contained in these pages—which is a good thing, because the book takes some horrifying twists and turns. Petra finds herself inexplicably attracted to Saint, even as she describes him as “such an asshole,” and her feelings for him veer between love and hate. The novel serves as a meta commentary on the dark romance genre—as Petra puts it, “Even though, as readers, we wouldn’t want to live out some of the fantasies we read about, it doesn’t mean we don’t enjoy reading those things.”
A dark and twisty look at just how far one woman is willing to go to find inspiration.Pub Date: Jan. 13, 2026
ISBN: 9781662539374
Page Count: -
Publisher: Montlake
Review Posted Online: Sept. 27, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2025
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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