Frustratingly slow.
A dragon rider who’s half-Fae and half-human navigates uncharted territory in this sequel to 2025’s House of Dragons.
Things are turning around after the dashing of Kerrigan’s dreams of becoming a dragon rider for another house. Through her relationship with Fordham, heir to the House of Shadows, she’s found belonging. To finalize her membership, she’ll have to travel home with him and be accepted by his father, King Samael Ollivier—but the House of Shadows is known to be especially cruel to humans and the half-Fae. In addition to swearing fealty to the king and developing a necessary (but inexplicably missing) bond with her dragon, Tieran, Kerrigan must also complete a year of training with Tieran. She also has to outrun the machinations of the Red Masks, a terrorist organization hellbent on erasing humans and half-Fae from society. The plot has many threads to follow and features few action scenes and a preponderance of dialogue that doesn’t always further the story; much of the time, the dragons aren’t central to either the conversations or the situations. As in the previous book, there’s a questionable age gap between teenage Kerrigan and an adult man she’s in a romantic relationship with (Fordham’s age is ambiguous, but Kerrigan assumes that he isn’t “as young as she” is). This element, a lot of alcohol-fueled partying, and some explicit sexual interludes make the intended audience difficult to identify. Kerrigan and Fordham read white.
Frustratingly slow. (maps, pronunciation guide, houses) (Fantasy. 16-adult)Pub Date: Jan. 6, 2026
ISBN: 9781464253553
Page Count: 544
Publisher: Bloom Books
Review Posted Online: Oct. 10, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2025
BOOK REVIEW
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
In addition to the supernatural elements, Brosgol interweaves some savvy insights about the illusion of perfection and...
A deliciously creepy page-turning gem from first-time writer and illustrator Brosgol finds brooding teenager Anya trying to escape the past—both her own and the ghost haunting her.
Anya feels out of place at her preppy private school; embarrassed by her Russian heritage, she has worked hard to lose her accent and to look more like everyone else. After a particularly frustrating morning at the bus stop, Anya storms off, only to accidentally fall down a well. Down in the dark hole, she meets Emily, a ghost who claims to be a murder victim trapped down in the dank abyss for 90 years. With Emily’s help, Anya manages to escape, though once free, she learns that Emily has traveled out with her. At first, Emily seems like the perfect friend; however, once her motives become clear, Anya learns that “perfect” may only be an illusion. A moodily atmospheric spectrum of grays washes over the clean, tidy panels, setting a distinct stage before the first words appear. Brosgol’s tight storytelling invokes the chilling feeling of Neil Gaiman’s Coraline (2002), though for a decidedly older set.
In addition to the supernatural elements, Brosgol interweaves some savvy insights about the illusion of perfection and outward appearance. (Graphic supernatural fiction. 12 & up)Pub Date: June 7, 2011
ISBN: 978-1-59643-552-0
Page Count: 224
Publisher: First Second
Review Posted Online: April 18, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2011
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