Intriguing but frustratingly unfocused.
At a magical school, students must kill—or be killed.
Fabian, Euphemia, and Credence attend the Stellarium, an elite academy for training honorable magicians. Their honors class teacher, known only as “the Professor,” is a devil—an immortal with a simple objective on his syllabus. Kill him before the semester is over and you pass; fail, and he will kill all 13 students. Given the astronomically high tuition, which they can’t afford, the three friends are also eager to see their tuition forgiven, another part of the deal if they’re successful. Split into three sections—which are named for each of the three leads—this slow-burn novel delves into each character’s machinations, and it quickly becomes apparent that deceit and sabotage run rampant throughout the Stellarium, few will be spared, and even fewer can be trusted. The premise has all the elements dark academia readers wish for: magic, politics, a gothic-tinged setting, and swoonworthy romance. However, Miller mires the narrative in minutiae, exhausting readers’ attention over trivialities that feel irrelevant, leaving more important elements (specifically the overall worldbuilding and magic system) to falter. Occasional odd turns of phrase pull readers out of the story. Nevertheless, devotees of the genre may be able to overlook these missteps, reveling in the omnipresent and precarious balance between life and death, and the author’s pull-no-punches treatment of her characters. Credence has brown skin, and Fabian and Euphemia, who’s queer, read white.
Intriguing but frustratingly unfocused. (Dark fantasy. 13-adult)Pub Date: June 3, 2025
ISBN: 9780063388611
Page Count: 416
Publisher: Storytide/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: April 4, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2025
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In addition to the supernatural elements, Brosgol interweaves some savvy insights about the illusion of perfection and...
A deliciously creepy page-turning gem from first-time writer and illustrator Brosgol finds brooding teenager Anya trying to escape the past—both her own and the ghost haunting her.
Anya feels out of place at her preppy private school; embarrassed by her Russian heritage, she has worked hard to lose her accent and to look more like everyone else. After a particularly frustrating morning at the bus stop, Anya storms off, only to accidentally fall down a well. Down in the dark hole, she meets Emily, a ghost who claims to be a murder victim trapped down in the dank abyss for 90 years. With Emily’s help, Anya manages to escape, though once free, she learns that Emily has traveled out with her. At first, Emily seems like the perfect friend; however, once her motives become clear, Anya learns that “perfect” may only be an illusion. A moodily atmospheric spectrum of grays washes over the clean, tidy panels, setting a distinct stage before the first words appear. Brosgol’s tight storytelling invokes the chilling feeling of Neil Gaiman’s Coraline (2002), though for a decidedly older set.
In addition to the supernatural elements, Brosgol interweaves some savvy insights about the illusion of perfection and outward appearance. (Graphic supernatural fiction. 12 & up)Pub Date: June 7, 2011
ISBN: 978-1-59643-552-0
Page Count: 224
Publisher: First Second
Review Posted Online: April 18, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2011
An entertaining and atmospheric, though sometimes clumsy, exploration of the true cost of beauty.
In this retelling of a classic, a drama student’s obsession with beauty leads her down a dark—and possibly deadly—path.
Eighteen-year-old Penny Paxton is beginning her first year at Dorian Drama Academy in Edinburgh, Scotland, where she hopes to follow in her starlet mother’s footsteps—and earn the love that her mother has never seemed to offer. At Dorian, Penny is mentored by Royal Shakespeare Company legend Orlagh Camran, who makes her the compelling offer of a portrait by the Masked Painter, a mysterious artist with the ability to gift his subjects everlasting youth and beauty. But shortly after Penny’s portrait is complete, several of the Masked Painter’s subjects are found murdered. Fearing that she’s made a terrible mistake and may become the next victim, Penny, who’s gay, begins to investigate the murders with the help of an unlikely ally. As she attempts to uncover the truth surrounding the Masked Painter and the murders, she’s forced to reckon with her own toxic obsession with beauty. This chilling, atmospheric novel, inspired by The Picture of Dorian Gray, is entertaining and full of twists, though some of the reveals feel contrived and some questions are left unanswered. The plot unravels at a leisurely pace but eventually builds to an action-packed (if somewhat convoluted) conclusion. Most characters are cued white.
An entertaining and atmospheric, though sometimes clumsy, exploration of the true cost of beauty. (content note, author’s note, bonus scene) (Fantasy thriller. 14-18)Pub Date: May 26, 2026
ISBN: 9781250346797
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Wednesday Books
Review Posted Online: March 9, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2026
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