Supernatural beings propel this intricate, intriguing, and surprisingly energetic tale.
In this paranormal sequel, a teenage angel/demon hybrid and her family clash with hell’s power-hungry queen and her famous dad, Lucifer.
With her father, Lucifer, supposedly dead, Queen Lucinda aspires to be the most powerful figure in hell, tormenting and consuming demon and human souls. World domination is also in reach if she can turn the tide in the imminent Red War between heaven and hell. It seems odd, then, that Lucinda focuses her attention on Crighton, Lucifer’s former soul seeker and a Nephilim (an angel/demon), whom the queen loves. Crighton lives in Middle Earth, a place that’s neither heaven nor hell, with his guardian angel soul mate and their 17-year-old daughter, Samara. But Lucinda has a diabolical plan; she abducts someone in Crighton’s family who’s reputedly the key to destroying heaven in the war. Meanwhile, Lucifer, an angel once more, hijacks a “meat suit” and returns to hell. He aims to seize the throne back from Lucinda while his disturbing obsession with Samara slowly brews. He may be an even bigger threat than his daughter, as he’ll likely use his power to annihilate everything—heaven, hell, and Earth. McFarren’s epic follow-up to Soul Seeker (2020) brims with vivid characters and subplots, fueling the sequel’s impressive pace. For example, Samara’s demon-filled school days culminate in a murder mystery, and disappearing members of Crighton’s family spur several rescue missions. In addition, the author’s pithy details don’t linger excessively on scenes of brutal torture and explicit sex. Much of the cast is gleefully complex, harboring unexpected connections to others, and rarely trustworthy, though Samara is a consistently appealing young protagonist. While Lucinda’s thirst for power drives the story, the lengthy final act swerves drastically, introducing myriad new characters and twists aplenty involving Samara and a weirdly specific prophecy. Still, the doozy of a cliffhanger will surely leave readers yearning for a third series installment.
Supernatural beings propel this intricate, intriguing, and surprisingly energetic tale.Pub Date: Jan. 3, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-68564-056-9
Page Count: 523
Publisher: Creative Edge Publishing LLC
Review Posted Online: Feb. 7, 2022
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
FANTASY | PARANORMAL FICTION | FAMILY LIFE & FRIENDSHIP | TEENS & YOUNG ADULT DYSTOPIAN FICTION | TEENS & YOUNG ADULT SCIENCE FICTION & FANTASY | TEENS & YOUNG ADULT PARANORMAL & SUPERNATURAL | TEENS & YOUNG ADULT FAMILY | ACTION & ADVENTURE FANTASY | PARANORMAL FANTASY | GENERAL MYSTERY & DETECTIVE | GENERAL FICTION
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
The series’ snarky noir vibe might be dwindling, but there’s something of substance in its place.
This is wizard Harry Dresden’s yearlong mourning period for Karrin Murphy, the woman he loved.
If you keep upping your protagonist’s powers throughout a series, then you must balance the scales by increasing the number and strength of their enemies—as well as seriously messing with their personal life. Over the course of the Dresden Files, Harry Dresden, Chicago PI and now one of the most powerful wizards in the world, thought his first love was dead (she wasn’t), sacrificed his half-vampire girlfriend on an altar to save their child, lost another girlfriend when they learned she’d been mind-controlled into their relationship, bound himself into servitude as the Fae Queen Mab’s Winter Knight, and, for the length of an entire book, thought he himself was dead (he wasn’t). But nothing has hit quite as hard as the death of Karrin Murphy, the former police lieutenant who was his quasi-partner, friend, and, after a slow burn across many books, lover. Chicago is in a terrible state following a battle with Ethniu the Titan and her Fomor army, and Harry is doing his best to confront the monsters, dark magic, and anti-supernatural prejudice running wild amid the slowly rebuilding city. He’s also trying to save his half brother Thomas from two different death sentences, train a new apprentice, and juggle a relationship with Thomas’ half sister Lara, the dangerously seductive vampire Queen Mab is forcing him to marry. But he’s doing all this while nearly crushed by grief that threatens his judgment and disturbs his control over his magical powers. Butcher really makes you feel the dark, depressive state Harry exists in as well as the effect it’s having on his friends. Despite all that happens in it, this book is a pause as well as a setup for the series’ planned conclusion, an epic conflict with the eldritch creatures known as “the Outsiders.” It’s a tough, redemptive pause that could be a real drag, but thankfully, it’s not, because Butcher shows balance, too: Even as the crises pile up, so do the help and goodwill from unexpected sources.
The series’ snarky noir vibe might be dwindling, but there’s something of substance in its place.Pub Date: Jan. 20, 2026
ISBN: 9780593199336
Page Count: 480
Publisher: Ace/Berkley
Review Posted Online: Feb. 2, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2026
An affecting portrait of a prickly woman.
A lifetime’s worth of letters combine to portray a singular character.
Sybil Van Antwerp, a cantankerous but exceedingly well-mannered septuagenarian, is the titular correspondent in Evans’ debut novel. Sybil has retired from a beloved job as chief clerk to a judge with whom she had previously been in private legal practice. She is the divorced mother of two living adult children and one who died when he was 8. She is a reader of novels, a gardener, and a keen observer of human nature. But the most distinguishing thing about Sybil is her lifelong practice of letter writing. As advancing vision problems threaten Sybil’s carefully constructed way of life—in which letters take the place of personal contact and engagement—she must reckon with unaddressed issues from her past that threaten the house of cards (letters, really) she has built around herself. Sybil’s relationships are gradually revealed in the series of letters sent to and received from, among others, her brother, sister-in-law, children, former work associates, and, intriguingly, literary icons including Joan Didion and Larry McMurtry. Perhaps most affecting is the series of missives Sybil writes but never mails to a shadowy figure from her past. Thoughtful musings on the value and immortal quality of letters and the written word populate one of Sybil’s notes to a young correspondent while other messages are laugh-out-loud funny, tinged with her characteristic blunt tartness. Evans has created a brusque and quirky yet endearing main character with no shortage of opinions and advice for others but who fails to excavate the knotty difficulties of her own life. As Sybil grows into a delayed self-awareness, her letters serve as a chronicle of fitful growth.
An affecting portrait of a prickly woman.Pub Date: May 6, 2025
ISBN: 9780593798430
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Crown
Review Posted Online: Feb. 15, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2025
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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