A vividly rendered sequel.
Book 2 of The Raven Cycle receives a dreamy, full-color graphic adaptation.
Readers return to Henrietta, where Blue, Gansey, Ronan, Adam, and Noah are dealing with the fallout of awakening the ley line beneath which, legend holds, the mystical king Glendower lies buried. This installment primarily follows Ronan (who’s capable of conjuring objects from his dreams) as he faces a volatile rival who tempts and goads him toward dangerous uses of his power. Other characters walk their own complicated pathways: Adam, who awakened the ley line, grapples with newly developing psychic abilities. Gansey, still focused on finding Glendower, must also clumsily navigate the widening class divide between himself and Adam. Blue, prophesied to mark her true love for death with a kiss, struggles to untangle her feelings for both Adam and Gansey. Noah, revealed to be a ghost in the first book, is losing his connection to the physical world. Meanwhile, a mysterious older man arrives in town searching for something called the Greywaren, with Ronan firmly in his sights. Full-color illustrations bring the story’s settings to life, from the witchy warmth of the Sargent house to Henrietta’s pastoral beauty. But the adaptation has more difficulty capturing the characters’ inner lives and portraying more abstract plot elements, which mutes some key emotional beats from the original novel. Most principal characters appear white, other than Blue, who has dark brown skin.
A vividly rendered sequel. (Graphic fantasy. 12-18)Pub Date: Aug. 4, 2026
ISBN: 9780593621226
Page Count: 288
Publisher: Viking
Review Posted Online: May 18, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2026
BOOK REVIEW
A sweet, romantic visit to the iconic Disney Fairies world.
The Pixie Dust Root is in danger, and one fairy is determined to save it—and the Pixie Dust Tree that all of Pixie Hollow depends upon.
In this stand-alone story set in the same world as Allison Saft’s Wings of Starlight (2025), Periwinkle, a frost-talent who has a gift for finding things—or maybe they have a way of finding her?—discovers a lost thread of magic that grants her the ability to dream. But not all dreams are as sparkly as Periwinkle. One night, she awakens from a nightmare to find herself in the Winter Woods with a fairy she’s never met, a sparrow man named Weaver, who claims to be a rare dream-talent. Disconcertingly, Weaver knows her—he calls her “perfect Periwinkle” and for some reason doesn’t seem to like her very much. Nevertheless, Periwinkle finds herself drawn to Weaver. When he tells her he can save the Pixie Dust Root by spinning her dreams into thread if she helps him find the magic tools he needs, Periwinkle agrees. Their journey leads the pair, who are pale-skinned, to discover things they like about each other, too. This is an opposites-attract adventure with romantic tension, a high-stakes quest, personal discovery, and betrayal. The characters struggle with inner turmoil while also adjusting their understanding of each other. Bright balances the fun with explorations of themes of snap judgments, labels, and weaponizing fear.
A sweet, romantic visit to the iconic Disney Fairies world. (Fantasy. 12-18)Pub Date: Aug. 4, 2026
ISBN: 9780736447362
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Disney/Random House
Review Posted Online: May 4, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2026
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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
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