Thrilling, unpredictable, and brimming with action.
Rui, Zizi, and Yiran explore their past lives and entwined fates and the unraveling motives of their friends and families in the conclusion to this Asian folklore–inspired duology.
A strong recollection of the events of Darker by Four (2024) will ease readers into this fast-paced sequel. The carefully interwoven plot toggles among multiple viewpoints: Rui dreams of the underworld’s Fourth King and his lover, a woman named Lei Ying; Zizi is left imprisoned in the Obsidian Cavern in the underworld while Kings and Gods hope he remembers his identity in order to stabilize the mortal and celestial realms; and Yiran, who has isolated himself from loved ones, is desperate to recover his magic (he even contemplates working with Hybrid Revenants, humanoid monsters that feed off humans’ life force). While the three struggle, conflict escalates between Hybrids and Exorcists. The murders the Hybrids carry out are getting stranger, and there seems to be a mole within the Guild. As Yiran’s involvement with Hybrids deepens, unsavory truths around his father’s death and his grandfather’s tampering with Yiran’s spiritual powers emerge. The trio’s complex situations converge in a compelling showdown with plenty of twists. A few lingering questions remain, but the story is entertaining enough to keep readers turning pages. Tan has woven an intricate, deftly layered dark fantasy, skillfully balancing plot twists, character arcs, and themes and allowing readers to fully immerse themselves in an alluring world.
Thrilling, unpredictable, and brimming with action. (content note, author’s note) (Fantasy. 14-18)Pub Date: March 10, 2026
ISBN: 9780063283893
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Storytide/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Jan. 19, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2026
BOOK REVIEW
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
An entertaining and atmospheric, though sometimes clumsy, exploration of the true cost of beauty.
In this retelling of a classic, a drama student’s obsession with beauty leads her down a dark—and possibly deadly—path.
Eighteen-year-old Penny Paxton is beginning her first year at Dorian Drama Academy in Edinburgh, Scotland, where she hopes to follow in her starlet mother’s footsteps—and earn the love that her mother has never seemed to offer. At Dorian, Penny is mentored by Royal Shakespeare Company legend Orlagh Camran, who makes her the compelling offer of a portrait by the Masked Painter, a mysterious artist with the ability to gift his subjects everlasting youth and beauty. But shortly after Penny’s portrait is complete, several of the Masked Painter’s subjects are found murdered. Fearing that she’s made a terrible mistake and may become the next victim, Penny, who’s gay, begins to investigate the murders with the help of an unlikely ally. As she attempts to uncover the truth surrounding the Masked Painter and the murders, she’s forced to reckon with her own toxic obsession with beauty. This chilling, atmospheric novel, inspired by The Picture of Dorian Gray, is entertaining and full of twists, though some of the reveals feel contrived and some questions are left unanswered. The plot unravels at a leisurely pace but eventually builds to an action-packed (if somewhat convoluted) conclusion. Most characters are cued white.
An entertaining and atmospheric, though sometimes clumsy, exploration of the true cost of beauty. (content note, author’s note, bonus scene) (Fantasy thriller. 14-18)Pub Date: May 26, 2026
ISBN: 9781250346797
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Wednesday Books
Review Posted Online: March 9, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2026
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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