Addictive intrigue that will send readers to history books as a balm while waiting for the sequel.
A historical reimagining that asks: what if Vlad the Impaler had been a woman?
This history diverges at the birth of Vlad Dracul’s daughter, a Ladislav instead of another Vlad. Young Lada is ugly, vicious, and borderline feral, especially in comparison to her sensitive, sweet younger brother, Radu. While beautiful Radu’s tormented for his weaknesses, Lada’s brutality makes her a natural at their court. But when their father’s precarious position forces him to flee to the Ottoman sultan for help, the sultan takes Lada and Radu hostage to ensure their father’s loyalty. Lada hates everything about the cultural–melting-pot empire that’s brought her own country so low; Radu takes to it well, finding comfort in converting to Islam. Both siblings are drawn to Mehmed, the sultan’s third son, who’s suddenly the heir. These three primary characters repeatedly learn the hard way how slippery and illusory power is. Lada—so ugly and mean that readers will adore her—stubbornly rejects gender roles, yearns to liberate her country, and yet also falls for Mehmed for seeing her as an equal. The political mechanisms are endlessly twisty, and the characters, though they sometimes don’t read as their given ages, benefit from complex motivations and an unconventional love triangle.
Addictive intrigue that will send readers to history books as a balm while waiting for the sequel. (dramatis personae, glossary, author’s note; not seen) (Historical fiction. 12 & up)Pub Date: June 28, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-553-52231-0
Page Count: 496
Publisher: Delacorte
Review Posted Online: March 15, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2016
A dizzying, intimate romance.
Rowan teams up with her academic nemesis to win a citywide scavenger hunt.
Rowan Roth and Neil McNair have been rivals in a never-ending game of one-upmanship since freshman year. Now, on the last day of senior year, Rowan hopes to best Neil once and for all as valedictorian, then win Howl, a scavenger hunt with a $5,000 cash prize. She also hopes to sneak away to her favorite romance author’s book signing; no one’s ever respected her passion for the genre, not even her children’s book author/illustrator parents. But Rowan’s named salutatorian, and vengeful classmates plot to end her and Neil’s reign. At first their partnership is purely strategic, but as the pair traverse the city, they begin to open up. Rowan learns that Neil is Jewish too and can relate to both significant cultural touchstones and experiences of casual anti-Semitism. As much as Rowan tries to deny it, real feelings begin to bloom. Set against a lovingly evoked Seattle backdrop, Rowan and Neil’s relationship develops in an absorbing slow burn, with clever banter and the delicious tension of first love. Issues of class, anti-Semitism, and sex are discussed frankly. Readers will emerge just as obsessed with this love story as Rowan is with her beloved romance novels. Rowan’s mother is Russian Jewish and Mexican, and her father is American Jewish and presumably White; most other characters are White.
A dizzying, intimate romance. (author’s note) (Romance. 13-18)Pub Date: July 28, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-5344-4024-1
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Simon Pulse/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: April 7, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2020
An enticing, turbulent, and satisfying final voyage.
Adrian, the youngest of the Montague siblings, sails into tumultuous waters in search of answers about himself, the sudden death of his mother, and her mysterious, cracked spyglass.
On the summer solstice less than a year ago, Caroline Montague fell off a cliff in Aberdeen into the sea. When the Scottish hostel where she was staying sends a box of her left-behind belongings to London, Adrian—an anxious, White nobleman on the cusp of joining Parliament—discovers one of his mother’s most treasured possessions, an antique spyglass. She acquired it when she was the sole survivor of a shipwreck many years earlier. His mother always carried that spyglass with her, but on the day of her death, she had left it behind in her room. Although he never knew its full significance, Adrian is haunted by new questions and is certain the spyglass will lead him to the truth. Once again, Lee crafts an absorbing adventure with dangerous stakes, dynamic character growth, sharp social and political commentary, and a storm of emotion. Inseparable from his external search for answers about his mother, Adrian seeks a solution for himself, an end to his struggle with mental illness—a journey handled with hopeful, gentle honesty that validates the experiences of both good and bad days. Characters from the first two books play significant secondary roles, and the resolution ties up their loose ends. Humorous antics provide a well-measured balance with the heavier themes.
An enticing, turbulent, and satisfying final voyage. (Historical fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: Nov. 16, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-06-291601-3
Page Count: 464
Publisher: Katherine Tegen/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Aug. 31, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2021
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