Dark and lovely on its shimmering surface but with a thinnish plot reliant on luck and coincidence.
This sequel returns readers to the jet-setting world of The Dark Fable (2024).
Evie Wilder and the criminal crew of the renowned La Fable Sombre, including core members Dev, Queenie, and Mad, navigate rainy streets, engage in rooftop conversations, and gather in a graffiti-covered castle, all in pursuit of the talismans that will bring the answers they seek. With Ciaran released from the Wild Dark’s icy-cold grip and the arrival of a unicorn who travels via pentacle, the light-fingered crew go after Pandora’s jar and the Tiger’s Heart gem. They steal, trade, and lose and steal back items, hoping to later barter them to the Basilisk, a dangerous murderer. Evie keeps a protective eye on her teenage siblings, Ezra and Juliet, and reunites with Jason, who’s returned from the Wild Dark a changed person. French phrases, colorfully dyed hair, frequent espressos, and a torrid kiss or two cue the cosmopolitan nature of LFS. The gang members outwit and outfight rivals, following the high-adrenaline lifestyle Evie has come to crave. Unfortunately, events often come together surprisingly neatly, magical talents conveniently match the characters’ needs, and priceless objects seem too easily stolen. The story allows ample space for atmospheric descriptions of clothing, settings, and furnishings. Most main characters read white; Liverpudlian Dev has dark brown skin. The cast is diverse in gender identity and sexuality.
Dark and lovely on its shimmering surface but with a thinnish plot reliant on luck and coincidence. (Fantasy thriller. 14-18)Pub Date: March 11, 2025
ISBN: 9781547613779
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Review Posted Online: Jan. 18, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2025
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
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
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