A sprawling tale of love and magic with an engaging protagonist.
In Gateley’s debut fantasy novel, the first of a planned trilogy, a modern-day Witch discovers a startling destiny that involves finding her true love.
Thirty-year-old Canadian Julia Harrison knows that she’s from a family of Witches, but she’s learned little about her own magic in her quiet existence on Vancouver Island. She does, however, have the power of Sight, which torments her with disturbing nightmares and visions of the past, present, and future. Some could be glimpses of her former lives—and these include people whom Dom O’Brien knows quite well. He’s a visiting Irish professor at the University of British Columbia, where Julia is finishing her final undergraduate semester, studying linguistics. It turns out that he’s been her lover in numerous past lifetimes; each time, they find each other, share a few months together, and then die—a cycle that’s playing out once again. As Julia slowly regains her past-life memories, Dom stays quiet about a relevant prophecy, even after the pair encounter friendly, magic-wielding Druids in Ireland. As it happens, the wicked, immortal sorcerer Cassius has been hunting Julia through the centuries. Julia’s hazy recollections and her “unreliable” magic skills make her rely on Dom and the Druids, but she aims to control her own destiny and join in the fight. Gateley’s book stirs up myriad questions as it provides details about the couple’s fated deaths, and it lets a handful of mysteries linger, presumably for sequels. For the most part, the story centers on Julia and Dom’s sublimely complex relationship, delving into such uncertainties as how their lives might unfold if they were able to be together, uninterrupted, for years. Gateley illuminates this fantasy novel with vibrant descriptions, as when the couple flies through Ireland’s countryside in a classic sports car, or how their mutual attraction is like an “electrical storm brewing.” The tale also has a strong feminist theme as Julia resists various male oppressors—from enemies trying to prevent Witches like her from using magic to allies sidelining her in their plan to defeat Cassius.
A sprawling tale of love and magic with an engaging protagonist.Pub Date: N/A
ISBN: 978-1-03-912657-2
Page Count: 500
Publisher: FriesenPress
Review Posted Online: Feb. 4, 2022
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
An existential crisis that steps on its own final moments.
With only a month left until the world ends due to a swiftly approaching black hole, Don and Rodney, a retired gay couple, road-trip from Maine to Washington to spend their final days with their son.
After reports that a planet-swallowing black hole is making its way toward Earth, Rodney and Don—who have been together for 40 years and survived everything from homophobia to the HIV crisis—decide to pack their belongings into an RV, say goodbye to their neighbors, and travel from Camden, Maine, to Washington to uphold a promise to spend their final days with their son. They can’t wait any longer, since there’s already chaos around the country: “Military vehicles in the streets of most cities and towns. Looting, rioting, the burning of cars and buildings and people, all of it had already happened.” As they make their way west across the country, they encounter fellow travelers ranging from close-knit families to free-spirited hippies, some of whom have come to terms with the impending end of the world and others who haven’t. While the story seems to be asking readers what they would do if they had 30 days left to live, and reflects on what different kinds of acceptance might look like in the face of unavoidable tragedy, it loses some of its poignancy in a series of thinly padded monologues about the meaning of life. Clearly intended to pack an emotional punch, it’s failed by an abrupt ending, and the way the journey’s mystery—which will be obvious to many readers—is revealed by an info dump in the last chapter.
An existential crisis that steps on its own final moments.Pub Date: April 28, 2026
ISBN: 9781250881236
Page Count: 176
Publisher: Tor
Review Posted Online: March 9, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2026
A tender reminder that gratitude is a path we choose, one conversation at a time.
In Green’s inspirational novel, a journalist boarding the wrong train discovers the right moment to speak the words that matter.
Daniel arrives at the Beacon station carrying a leather notebook filled with an unfinished eulogy for his still-living grandfather, only to be swept onto the mysterious 5:07 Gratitude Express, a steam locomotive that appears “for those who want to express gratitude.” His uncanny journey sends him through vividly rendered moments from his own life, where he witnesses the ripple effects of kindnesses he has offered and reunites—sometimes for the first time—with people who were permanently shaped by those actions. Each stop brings a new encounter: A childhood classmate says, “That morning, you altered the course of my life”; an elderly woman confesses, “Your simple act of kindness saved me that day”; a mentor tells him, “You need to figure out what you’re good at and what you like to do. Because when you do that, your potential is limitless.” By the time Daniel reaches Cedarville, intent on seeing his grandfather—the person who most profoundly shaped him—his reflections echo the conductor’s warning that “Time is unpredictable, and unsaid words bring pain and regret.” What follows is a moving affirmation of connection that honors the story’s central message: Appreciation should be expressed to the living. Green structures the narrative as a fable, with emotional clarity and cinematic pacing. The train’s dissolving walls, the recurring whistle rising “high into the dark sky,” and the symbolic briefcase filled with long-kept letters lend the tale a gentle magical-realist texture. While the storyline remains linear and accessible for all ages, the themes—regret, legacy, and intergenerational love—invite adult reflection. The prose is simple, intentionally so, grounding the fantastical elements in an earnest emotional register. This is not a plot-twist-driven story; it’s a quiet parable urging readers to act before time steals their chances. Readers who appreciate heartfelt, uplifting narrative journeys will find resonance in Green’s message.
A tender reminder that gratitude is a path we choose, one conversation at a time.Pub Date: Jan. 27, 2026
ISBN: 9798891385252
Page Count: 80
Publisher: Self
Review Posted Online: Jan. 13, 2026
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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