An intriguing paranormal thriller.
A newbie wolf from St. Augustine, Florida, is out for revenge.
Vanessa and her best friend, Celeste, are out celebrating Vanessa’s 17th birthday when Celeste is murdered by a werewolf and Vanessa is bitten by another one. After her transformation, a heartbroken and angry Vanessa is presented at the Wolf Queen’s Court, which is ruled by the cunning Queen Sybil of the North American Court. These magical wolves possess powers beyond the ability to change at will between human and wolf bodies. Vanessa turns out to be the first known wolf to have purple eyes, and the queen is very interested in how she can use her powers to the court’s advantage. Even as Vanessa tries to solve the mystery of which wolf is responsible for Celeste’s death, she develops a budding romance with Prince Sinclair Severi, the queen’s son. But his interest in her could be dangerous to Vanessa: His engagement to “mean girl” Princess Evelyn Lee of the Asian Court is in the works, and Vanessa must determine whether there’s anyone she can trust in the brutal inner circle of the royal court. Debut author Gray’s worldbuilding is layered and intricate, and the action moves at a brisk pace although some of the dialogue is repetitive and stilted. Vanessa’s single-minded vengeance reverberates throughout, and while some of her choices may frustrate readers, the story is utterly enjoyable. Vanessa and Sinclair read white.
An intriguing paranormal thriller. (hierarchy of the seven werewolf courts) (Paranormal. 14-18)Pub Date: Sept. 30, 2025
ISBN: 9780316588430
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: June 13, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 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
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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