Rich character development and clear plotlines make for a strong sequel.
Three noblewomen pursue their desired marriages—and contend with family pressures, fake courting, and blackmail—in this follow-up to A Queen’s Game (2024).
Queen Victoria persists in arranging advantageous marriages for her descendants. May of Teck, seeking an escape from her abusive father, strategically pursues Eddy, Victoria’s grandson and heir, although she’s aware of her growing feelings for George, his younger brother. However, Eddy loves Hélène, a French princess whose family has lived in exile since the revolution. Despite gaining Victoria’s approval to marry Eddy, Hélène calls off the engagement, lying about the true reason: She’s being blackmailed by May, who’s discovered her shocking secret. Meanwhile, Alix of Hesse hopes to marry Nicholas despite his Romanov parents’ disapproval. To remain near Alix without suspicion and try to retrieve the letter May is using as blackmail, Nicholas and Hélène use a pretend courtship as a cover. Their deception leads Eddy, who’s feeling abandoned by Hélène, to agree to marry May. May, whose circumstances often make her sympathetic, struggles with the consequences of her decisions. McGee vividly portrays the characters’ motivations and milieu, including the heartbreaking impact of real historical events. The storylines, which unfold through multiple points of view, are easy to follow. New fans will find this work offers ample context and clarity, making it an accessible entry point for the series. The characters present white.
Rich character development and clear plotlines make for a strong sequel. (author’s note) (Historical fiction. 13-18)Pub Date: Nov. 4, 2025
ISBN: 9780593710746
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: Aug. 16, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2025
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
Immersive and engaging, despite some flaws, and destined to capture imaginations.
Magic, mystery, and love intertwine and invite in this newest take on the “enchanted circus” trope.
Sisters raised by their abusive father, a governor of a colonial backwater in a world vaguely reminiscent of the late 18th century, Scarlett and Donatella each long for something more. Scarlett, olive-skinned, dark of hair and attitude, longs for Caraval, the fabled, magical circus helmed by the possibly evil Master Legend Santos, while blonde, sunny Tella finds comfort in drink and the embraces of various men. A slightly awkward start, with inconsistencies of attitude and setting, rapidly smooths out when they, along with handsome “golden-brown” sailor Julian, flee to Caraval on the eve of Scarlett’s arranged marriage. Tella disappears, and Scarlett must navigate a nighttime world of magic to find her. Caraval delights the senses: beautiful and scary, described in luscious prose, this is a show readers will wish they could enter. Dresses can be purchased for secrets or days of life; clocks can become doors; bridges move: this is an inventive and original circus, laced with an edge of horror. A double love story, one sensual romance and the other sisterly loyalty, anchors the plot, but the real star here is Caraval and its secrets.
Immersive and engaging, despite some flaws, and destined to capture imaginations. (Fantasy. 14 & up)Pub Date: Jan. 31, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-250-09525-1
Page Count: 416
Publisher: Flatiron Books
Review Posted Online: Sept. 18, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2016
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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