An outstanding conclusion to a classic werewolf romantasy.
A new werewolf clings to her humanity as she thirsts for vengeance in the second volume of the Bitten duology.
There’s a new Wolf Queen of the North American court, Cora Severi, and her reign is even deadlier than her predecessor’s. In the three months since Vanessa’s been Bitten, everyone she cared about has been killed by Queen Cora’s werewolves. Vanessa, who presents white, is even more consumed with revenge after the slaughter, despite being engaged to Sinclair Severi, the Crown Prince—who bit as well as betrayed her. The other survivors include Evelyn Lee, Alchemist and princess of the Asian Court, and Calix Severi, Cora’s light brown–skinned nephew who murdered Vanessa’s best friend. Inconveniently, Vanessa is wildly attracted to him. She knows that in order to kill everyone she’s out to get, she must be cunning and gain control over her inconsistent Truthseer powers. What Vanessa doesn’t know is that Cora has a plan for her—and it doesn’t involve becoming her loving mother-in-law. It’s a plan that can and will destroy everyone who stands in the Wolf Queen’s path. Told primarily from Vanessa’s first-person perspective but supplemented by other well-developed points of view, the story moves at a brisk pace. Tantalizing and filled with twists, magic, and vacillating alliances, it will delight fans of the genre. There’s diversity in race and sexual orientation among the supporting cast.
An outstanding conclusion to a classic werewolf romantasy. (family tree) (Paranormal. 14-18)Pub Date: Oct. 6, 2026
ISBN: 9780316584579
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: Aug. 3, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2026
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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