An action-packed story with slow-burn romantic tension.
Thirteen years after the battle between Heaven and Hell, an 18-year-old girl accepts her unique powers and begins navigating her way between angels and demons.
When the war between Heaven and Hell spilled out onto Earth, powers were unleashed that “mutated humanity,” but until their Awakening ceremony, most people don’t know which side they’re affiliated with. But Brielle Atwater knows she’s demon-bound, having been sold into demon slavery years ago in a bargain to save her terminally ill father’s life. His untimely accidental death didn’t erase her contract, and at her Awakening, she expected her “slave mark.” But when her powers emerge, they reveal something far more extraordinary: She’s a celestial, gifted by the archangels themselves—a rare and powerful being. As her new life unfolds, Brielle is assigned to be trained by fellow Celestial Lincoln, who’s harsh and judgmental toward her. Strong-willed, impulsive Brielle is unwilling to back down—and when demons threaten to drag her into eternal darkness, it’s Lincoln who steps up, fighting for her freedom. In this series opener, sparks fly between the white-presenting leads, mixing heat, tension, and petty grievances with high stakes that propel the plot. The juxtaposition of the real-world and magical elements of the story at times feels jarring, and the characters spend little time on introspection, but readers seeking light escapism will be pleased.
An action-packed story with slow-burn romantic tension. (Fantasy. 14-18)Pub Date: March 18, 2025
ISBN: 9781464218927
Page Count: 352
Publisher: Bloom Books
Review Posted Online: March 8, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2025
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 light and entertaining plot-driven romance.
A Connecticut girl and her best friend devise a series of plans in order to achieve their goals: following a dream and winning back an ex.
Eighteen-year-old Audrey Barbour has a Master Plan: attend Blue Ridge Glass School in North Carolina and someday turn her Etsy shop, Golightly Glass, into a thriving business. But her uber-wealthy parents insist that she instead follow in their footsteps and go to business school. So Audrey decides to go find the tuition money she needs with help from her best friend, Henry Chen. Henry needs a favor, too: He hopes that fake dating Audrey will help him win back his ex-girlfriend, and he points out to a reluctant Audrey that this could make her crush, Griffin, notice her. While Audrey’s parents vacation in France for three weeks, the pair rent out the Barbour mansion on the Long Island Sound. Soon romantic chemistry grows alongside their business partnership. Despite the pair’s great preparation and an abundance of secondary characters with connections and talents to help pull off their increasingly ambitious ideas, plans go awry, leaving Audrey and Henry scrambling and second-guessing their choices. The pacing is even, but the characters often take a back seat to the whirlwind of activity that drives the plot, with the emphasis falling on each person’s practical skills and their role in keeping the action moving over their emotional bonds. Audrey is white, and Henry’s surname cues him as Chinese American.
A light and entertaining plot-driven romance. (Romance. 14-18)Pub Date: March 31, 2026
ISBN: 9780593904794
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Delacorte Romance
Review Posted Online: Dec. 12, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2026
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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