An insightful, affirming tale of swordplay and sisterhood.
In 17th-century France, a chronically ill girl vows to avenge her father’s murder.
Tania de Batz’s constant dizziness renders her an outcast in her small town. Prospective suitors dismiss her as weak, former friends bully her, and even her own mother seems ashamed. But her father, a retired Musketeer, has always supported her, teaching her to be a talented fencer against societal norms. So when he’s brutally murdered, Tania is stunned to learn his final wish: that she attend finishing school in Paris. At the Académie des Mariées, however, girls actually study to be undercover Musketeers, learning to wield swords as well as feminine charms on unsuspecting men as they uncover and thwart plots against the king. Despite her dizziness and initial distrust of the whole endeavor, Tania gradually finds her footing and bonds with her three fellow Musketeers, who each express distinct personalities. But when Tania falls for her target, a boy who might possess information about her father’s death, she jeopardizes the Académie’s reputation and future. Amid suspenseful spying and code-breaking, Lainoff deftly explores chronic illness and internalized ableism; others’ ignorant comments and Tania’s struggles with pervasive self-doubt are painfully realistic. The Musketeers’ unwavering support is heartwarming, smoothing a somewhat predictable ending. Two girls are queer; in the predominantly White cast, one girl is cued as a person of color. An author’s note explains that Tania, like the author, has postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome.
An insightful, affirming tale of swordplay and sisterhood. (Historical fiction. 13-18)Pub Date: March 8, 2022
ISBN: 978-0-374-31461-3
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Review Posted Online: Dec. 14, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2022
PERSPECTIVES
A heavy read about the harsh realities of tragedy and their effects on those left behind.
In this companion novel to 2013’s If He Had Been With Me, three characters tell their sides of the story.
Finn’s narrative starts three days before his death. He explores the progress of his unrequited love for best friend Autumn up until the day he finally expresses his feelings. Finn’s story ends with his tragic death, which leaves his close friends devastated, unmoored, and uncertain how to go on. Jack’s section follows, offering a heartbreaking look at what it’s like to live with grief. Jack works to overcome the anger he feels toward Sylvie, the girlfriend Finn was breaking up with when he died, and Autumn, the girl he was preparing to build his life around (but whom Jack believed wasn’t good enough for Finn). But when Jack sees how Autumn’s grief matches his own, it changes their understanding of one another. Autumn’s chapters trace her life without Finn as readers follow her struggles with mental health and balancing love and loss. Those who have read the earlier book will better connect with and feel for these characters, particularly since they’ll have a more well-rounded impression of Finn. The pain and anger is well written, and the novel highlights the most troublesome aspects of young adulthood: overconfidence sprinkled with heavy insecurities, fear-fueled decisions, bad communication, and brash judgments. Characters are cued white.
A heavy read about the harsh realities of tragedy and their effects on those left behind. (author’s note, content warning) (Fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: Feb. 6, 2024
ISBN: 9781728276229
Page Count: 416
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Review Posted Online: Jan. 5, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2024
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
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