A layered, well-characterized story with moments of sweetness, angst, and intrigue.
An 18-year-old Black girl living in a fantasy medieval England becomes a knight and tries to use her magic to help save her kingdom, all while contending with secrets and conflict.
Calliope’s dream came true when she was selected to be the Royal Knight to the God King, Deus Rex. Two hundred years ago, The Dark began to sweep across the land, devastating every living thing in its path. Ever since, the immortal king has kept it at bay with his powerful magic. The king’s trusted servant Beric, a young man who has brown skin and wavy black hair, selects Cali as the new Royal Knight following the death of Lady Violet, who previously served in that role. Cali looks forward to being at the palace, safely away from her abusive family, but Anise, her cousin, blackmails Cali into selecting her as her squire. Black people are free but not regarded as equals in royal circles, and ambitious Anise seeks an advantageous marriage. Cali’s elevated status makes her privy to shocking, closely guarded secrets about the pale-skinned, silver-haired God King, upending all her expectations of her new position. She navigates complicated feelings for Beric while facing dangers and uncovering the kingdom’s lore. Blackwood’s compelling prose pulls readers in and keeps them engaged. Relationships are a strength of the story; the romance between first-person narrators Cali and Beric takes center stage over intricate worldbuilding.
A layered, well-characterized story with moments of sweetness, angst, and intrigue. (Fantasy. 13-18)Pub Date: Oct. 20, 2026
ISBN: 9781250891167
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Wednesday Books
Review Posted Online: July 20, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2026
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
A worthy second-chance romance.
In this follow-up to 2021’s Better Than the Movies, a 20-year-old college freshman gets a second chance at his dreams.
After the death of his father and his mother’s subsequent physical and emotional disappearance, Wes Bennett left behind all of his plans and the girl he made them with to go home and take care of Sarah, his younger sister. But now, Sarah has graduated, his mom is back on her feet, and by some miracle, Wes has an offer to pitch for UCLA’s baseball team. Liz Buxbaum, the girl he’s always loved, works for the university’s athletic department, taking photos and video of the team for social media, which means that maybe he can have a second chance at love, too. But since Wes left, Liz has made every effort to protect herself from ever feeling that broken again; there’s no room for love, because she doesn’t believe in it anymore. Or she doesn’t want to. This second-chance sports romance includes fake dates, quippy and quirky best friends, real heartache, and the sweet ache of first love. The clever dialogue keeps readers from drowning in the main characters’ emotional push-and-pull. Reading the first novel isn’t necessary for appreciating this one, although knowing the full history between Wes and Liz will only add to the ache and longing readers feel from and for them. Main characters are cued white.
A worthy second-chance romance. (Romance. 14-18)Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2024
ISBN: 9781665947138
Page Count: 368
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: July 19, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2024
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