A satisfyingly emotional journey with depth.
Brie struggles with her newfound power and identity amid growing court upheaval in this duology closer following These Hollow Vows (2021).
Having turned fae after nearly dying from her bond with Sebastian, Abriella flees, reeling from his betrayal. Discovering a Seelie prison camp for Unseelie children, Brie unleashes her now considerable magic to free them, alongside Misha and his Wild Fae. Despite her mistrust of all fae, Brie vows to demolish all the golden queen’s camps and stop the exploitation of children. As the imbalance between the Seelie and Unseelie Courts grows, Brie struggles to fix the problem created by her survival. After recuperating with the Wild Fae, she reunites with exiled Unseelie Prince Finn and his friends and immediately recalls her attraction to him despite her bond with Sebastian. As she falls into a flirty love triangle, Brie’s relationships with Sebastian and Finn spotlight negative and potentially toxic issues such as jealousy and obsessive possessiveness as well as the importance of positive communication, support, and empathy. The focus on Brie’s evolving sense of self and belonging elevates an otherwise familiar fantasy plot with some predictable twists. The theme of power in terms of consent, free will, balance, and duty is strongly depicted through Brie and Finn’s determination. Brie and Sebastian read as White; Finn reads as fantasy diverse.
A satisfyingly emotional journey with depth. (Fantasy. 13-18)Pub Date: July 19, 2022
ISBN: 978-0-358-38658-2
Page Count: 496
Publisher: Clarion/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: June 21, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2022
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Disappointing.
Unlikely friends fight their growing feelings for each other while placing bets on other people’s love lives.
Bailey met Charlie while flying from Alaska, where she grew up, to Nebraska, where she and her mom would be living after her parents’ divorce. Although they briefly bonded over their parents’ divorces, Charlie’s cynicism grated on the rule-following Bailey, and she was thankful to part ways with him. Three years later, to Bailey’s dismay, she runs into Charlie when they both land jobs at Planet Funnn, a mega-hotel that’s “like a giant landlocked cruise ship.” This time around, Bailey and Charlie begin to get along better. To entertain themselves during their long shifts, they observe and make bets about the hotel guests. But they risk taking it too far when they bet on whether their co-worker Theo will end up with Nekesa, Bailey’s best friend, who’s in “a perfect relationship with the perfect guy.” The book explores Bailey’s conflicted feelings toward her mom’s new relationship with Scott (who doesn’t “do anything wrong” but whose presence changes “the vibe” at home), but it does so in a way that diminishes a primary source of conflict. Bailey's and Charlie’s feelings become even more complicated when Charlie helps Bailey with a fake-dating scheme intended to scare Scott off. Some of the banter between the leads, who are coded white, feels more aggressive than playful, detracting from their intimacy, and the circuitous plot may fail to sustain readers’ interest.
Disappointing. (Romance. 14-18)Pub Date: Nov. 28, 2023
ISBN: 9781665921237
Page Count: 432
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Aug. 31, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2023
A powerful tale of found family and first love.
After a year away, Ellis returns home to confront her past.
Graduating from high school far from everything familiar was not part of Ellis Truman’s original plans, but she nevertheless ended up spending her senior year with her aunt in California. In Indiana, Ellis practically grew up with the Albrey family and their three tightknit sons, Dixon, Tucker, and Easton. Now, Tucker wants her to return home for matriarch Sandry Albrey’s 50th birthday celebration on the Fourth of July—but Ellis is dreading seeing Easton, as they haven’t talked since she left. Chapters alternate between past and present, and much of the story unravels slowly: How did she come to live with the Albreys? What caused Ellis to then end up in San Diego? What happened in her relationship with Easton? Patient readers will find the heartfelt tension pays off. With her father in and out of jail and an absent mother, socio-economic differences separating Ellis from the middle-class Albreys don’t go unnoticed, and Ellis’ down-to-earth journey shows how she unpacks her feelings about her relationship with her parents. The slow-build romance is swoonworthy, and young adult fans of Colleen Hoover seeking emotional devastation and unforgettable characters will find much to enjoy here. Characters read as White.
A powerful tale of found family and first love. (Fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: May 10, 2022
ISBN: 978-0-06-308853-5
Page Count: 384
Publisher: HarperTeen
Review Posted Online: Jan. 10, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2022
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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