A charming, emotionally intelligent adventure.
A Florida teen’s webcomic reignites people’s belief in Korean gods, conjuring the deities into existence.
Overachiever Grace Bak is determined to do whatever it takes to follow in her parents’ footsteps and get into Boston University’s combined bachelor of science/doctor of medicine program. Grace is a “hive of anxiety,” struggling to prove her worth to her emotionally distant widower father, the peers she alienated during last semester’s “incident,” and herself. Only Zoe Ortiz, her nonbinary best friend, knows that Grace is the creator behind the viral webcomic Sun God, which is inspired by the Korean myths Grace’s late halmeoni used to tell her. In the comic, Haemosu, the titular sun god, and his lover, Yuhwa, are trapped in human bodies and cursed to attend public school. Powered by readers’ adoration, Grace’s characters come to life. The new boy at school turns out to be Haemosu, who’s unable to find his way home. As Grace tries to help him return to his realm, their friendship grows into a blossoming romance that’s tested when calamities strike. People contract smallpox and are attacked by terrifying monsters, events that point to the rageful water god Habaek, who commands Grace to stop meddling in celestial affairs. Cho’s insightful story embraces Korean culture while also depicting the social-emotional challenges of being Asian American in a predominantly white community. Grace’s relationship with Haemosu is grounded by her sincere journeys of navigating grief and embracing self-love.
A charming, emotionally intelligent adventure. (author’s note) (Fantasy. 13-18)Pub Date: April 21, 2026
ISBN: 9780593406816
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Nancy Paulsen Books
Review Posted Online: Dec. 26, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2026
PERSPECTIVES
Somberly beautiful.
A girl goes in search of her missing sister and discovers a strange hidden world of dreams.
Corin, who’s 18 and dark-skinned, strives to protect her 12-year-old sister, Elly. But life as a thief is full of struggle, poverty, and loss, even without Corin’s avoidance of other relationships. Elly clings to the promise of fairy tales, like the one that says a princess lies sleeping in an underground castle after pricking her finger on a spindle. After the sisters fight and Elly runs off, Corin searches for her in Gyldan’s old network of tunnels—and finds the tale is true: Cursed Princess Amelia, golden-haired, with eyes like “sea glass” and porcelain skin, lies asleep, surrounded by flowers. Corin enters the princess’ dreamworld—the place “where your subconscious desires come to life.” She meets Briar Rose, Amelia’s alter ego, who experienced her share of sadness and wanted to fall asleep. Also in the dreamworld is green-skinned Malicine, the nonbinary demon who, despite having placed the curse of eternal slumber on Amelia, is mostly friendly. All three are running from things they can’t face, though the dreamworld may not give them a choice. Pham’s debut, a Sapphic reimagining of “Sleeping Beauty,” explores mental health and asks a lot of readers as it seesaws between emotional confrontations, time jumps, and scenes where one character inhabits the memories of another, all of which demand intense engagement. Still, the ending is earned as well as positive.
Somberly beautiful. (content note) (Fantasy. 14-18)Pub Date: June 2, 2026
ISBN: 9798217113026
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Kokila
Review Posted Online: March 9, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2026
SEEN & HEARD
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
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