With this second installment, the Burning Glass trilogy hits its stride.
Riaznin is finally free from imperial rule.
Valko, the dethroned emperor, is in prison awaiting trial. Sonya is no longer sovereign Auraseer—no longer the empire’s property. Anton, Valko’s brother and leader of the uprising, is now one of the governors on the nascent Duma, the council set up to oversee Riaznin’s new democracy. Peace is still far away, however, as the peasants and the former nobility continue to resent one another while the forces of a neighboring country are charging their way through the countryside toward the vulnerable new government. Sonya not only possesses the Auraseer’s ability to sense the emotions of others, she also has the unheard-of ability to manipulate others’ emotions. Only Anton and her old Romska friend, Tosya, know she used this ability to influence Valko to abdicate just as his regime was on the verge of winning the One Day War. Unfortunately, enemies past and present also know her secret and threaten to use it against her. The whiny girl Sonya was has been replaced by a strong but flawed woman who owns her convictions. Sonya’s first-person narration is filled with descriptions of the emotions of those around her. The effect can be disorienting, but perhaps that’s the point. A few minor characters have darker than white skin, and other than the Romani-cognate Romska, the people of Russia-analog Riaznin appear to be white.
With this second installment, the Burning Glass trilogy hits its stride. (map) (Fantasy. 12-18)Pub Date: Aug. 15, 2017
ISBN: 978-0-06-241239-3
Page Count: 368
Publisher: Katherine Tegen/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: May 23, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2017
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
Exactly what the title promises.
A grieving teen’s devotion to romance films might ruin her chances at actual romance.
Liz Buxbaum has always adored rom-coms, not least for helping her still feel close to her screenwriter mother, who died when she was little. Liz hopes that her senior year might turn into a real-life romantic fantasy, as an old crush has moved back to town, cuter and nicer than ever. Surely she can get Michael to ask her to prom. If only Wes, the annoying boy next door, would help her with her scheming! This charming, fluffy concoction manages to pack into one goofy plot every conceivable trope, from fake dating to the makeover to the big misunderstanding. Creative, quirky, daydreaming Liz is just shy of an annoying stereotype, saved by a dry wit and unresolved grief and anger. Wes makes for a delightful bad boy with a good heart, and supporting characters—including a sassy best friend, a perfect popular rival, even a (not really) evil stepmother—all get the opportunity to transcend their roles. The only villain here is Liz’s lovelorn imagination, provoking her into foolish lies that cause actual hurt feelings; but she is sufficiently self-aware to make amends just in time for the most important trope of all: a blissfully happy ending. All characters seem to be White by default.
Exactly what the title promises. (Romance. 12-18)Pub Date: May 4, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-5344-6762-0
Page Count: 368
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Feb. 22, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2021
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