Bloody fantastic.
A year on from the events of Gwen & Art Are Not in Love (2023), things are awkward in Camelot.
When an uprising resulted in the death of King Allmot, 21-year-old Gabriel ascended the throne—and no one was more disappointed than he. Gabriel lost his left forearm in the battle, and he’s experiencing worsening panic attacks, largely due to the pressures of ruling. He and Arthur haven’t spoken much since Gabriel paused their romantic relationship so he could “focus on being king.” Nineteen-year-old Bridget and Gwen (Gabriel’s younger sister) are still together, although Bridget has been fumbling things as she isn’t good at feelings talk. Plus, she’s frustratingly still mentally troubled by battlefield trauma. To improve his public image, Gabriel reinstates the round table of old with a new set of knights (including Arthur and Bridget) and agrees to a royal tour to investigate new “Arthurian miracles.” While on the road, they face the societal growing pains of Gabriel’s queer-friendly “freedom-to-love laws.” This sequel is an indulgent, satisfying thrill ride that revisits beloved characters through new perspectives. The dual coming-of-age journeys contain emotional vulnerability, wry humor, a healthy helping of romance, and deft treatment of trauma. Croucher weaves queer representation and proclamations of beautifully defiant resistance throughout the story. Bridget is of Thai descent, the earlier book established Arthur as part Iranian, and the royal siblings are cued white.
Bloody fantastic. (map) (Historical romance. 14-18)Pub Date: Aug. 11, 2026
ISBN: 9781250404794
Page Count: 416
Publisher: Wednesday Books
Review Posted Online: May 18, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2026
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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
Immersive and engaging, despite some flaws, and destined to capture imaginations.
Magic, mystery, and love intertwine and invite in this newest take on the “enchanted circus” trope.
Sisters raised by their abusive father, a governor of a colonial backwater in a world vaguely reminiscent of the late 18th century, Scarlett and Donatella each long for something more. Scarlett, olive-skinned, dark of hair and attitude, longs for Caraval, the fabled, magical circus helmed by the possibly evil Master Legend Santos, while blonde, sunny Tella finds comfort in drink and the embraces of various men. A slightly awkward start, with inconsistencies of attitude and setting, rapidly smooths out when they, along with handsome “golden-brown” sailor Julian, flee to Caraval on the eve of Scarlett’s arranged marriage. Tella disappears, and Scarlett must navigate a nighttime world of magic to find her. Caraval delights the senses: beautiful and scary, described in luscious prose, this is a show readers will wish they could enter. Dresses can be purchased for secrets or days of life; clocks can become doors; bridges move: this is an inventive and original circus, laced with an edge of horror. A double love story, one sensual romance and the other sisterly loyalty, anchors the plot, but the real star here is Caraval and its secrets.
Immersive and engaging, despite some flaws, and destined to capture imaginations. (Fantasy. 14 & up)Pub Date: Jan. 31, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-250-09525-1
Page Count: 416
Publisher: Flatiron Books
Review Posted Online: Sept. 18, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2016
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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