Brooding boys worth rooting for.
A grieving teen finds love again in an unexpected place.
About two years after his boyfriend, London Sanders, died in a terrible auto accident, August Clarke feels like a shadow of his former self. Instead of going to UC Santa Barbara like he’d planned, he’s working at a pizzeria. He’s even stopped writing songs. Luckily, August’s friend and apartment-mate, Maxine Cho, is a stable anchor amid the chaos. But that stability gets turned upside down when August meets Cary, a mysterious boy who keeps showing up whenever someone dies. The big reveal: Cary is a Deathless from a realm called Aides who escorts souls to their final resting place. When August follows Cary after one fateful encounter, he accidentally winds up in Aides too. Can he find London’s soul there? And, based on the way Cary keeps looking at him, does August even want to? August’s tight first-person narration alternates between the present day and before the accident. The prologue and epilogue cleverly show London’s perspective, which allows for a satisfying sense of closure. In this fresh riff on Greek mythology, Winters draws a memorable, racially diverse cast with multiple queer characters; August is Black, and Cary has pale gold skin. The worldbuilding is comfortingly familiar without being derivative, and the storytelling is compelling. But what really shines here is Winters’ wise take on grief, which manages to feel authentically messy while hopeful.
Brooding boys worth rooting for. (Fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: Aug. 4, 2026
ISBN: 9780593624456
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Viking
Review Posted Online: yesterday
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2026
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 fantasy with complex characterization that will build anticipation for the next entry.
Three young people find their places in a world of vengeance and destiny in National Book Award winner Tahir’s duology opener set in the multicultural world of her An Ember in the Ashes series.
Aiz, from the impoverished nation of Kegar, seeks revenge against Tiral bet-Hiwa, an air squadron commander who, as a child, murdered Aiz’s fellow orphans. Guided by a voice claiming to be Mother Div, Kegar’s first queen, Aiz escapes imprisonment after her failed assassination attempt on Tiral and embarks on a journey to free Mother Div’s trapped spirit. In the Martial Empire, Sirsha, a skilled tracker with magical abilities who’s been banished from her homeland, is saved by a stranger who hires her to hunt an unnatural killer. Quil, the crown prince of the Martial Empire, faces an invasion by the Kegari and the lingering threat of a mysterious force responsible for recent murders, including those of two of his loved ones. As the storylines converge, Sirsha and Quil cross paths, leading to revelations about the insidious force. The story explores the blurred line between good and evil and the lengths one will go to for a better life. Tahir’s deep and intricate worldbuilding requires time for readers to fully grasp. Following a slow start, the plot engages as pieces fall into place, leading up to an unexpected ending. The beautiful writing compensates for the romantic relationships, which develop quickly and somewhat inorganically.
A fantasy with complex characterization that will build anticipation for the next entry. (Fantasy. 14-18)Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2024
ISBN: 9780593616949
Page Count: 496
Publisher: Putnam
Review Posted Online: July 19, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2024
SEEN & HEARD
SEEN & HEARD
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