A well-characterized fantasy that’s best suited to patient readers.
Demons conjured by original creations plague the kingdom of Wisteria.
Even a dream can unleash a demon. Eighteen-year-old Aurelie Blake knows her secret inventions, which ease her loneliness, are risky, but she believes they’re worth the reward: progress for society. When Mr. Everard, a stranger, arrives at the university where Aurelie lives with her uncle, who’s the dean, he offers her a lucrative but dangerous proposal: He wants her to build something that’s “near impossible” but would create a world in which “invention is welcomed, not feared.” Mr. Everard’s presence draws the attention of the Iron Guard, a demon-hunting military force, and soon Aurelie is caught in their sights as well. Des Whitlow, a stoic Iron Guard member, is assigned to follow her. At first, Des and Aurelie clash, their personalities and appearances seemingly at odds: He’s a towering soldier, gray-eyed with “ridiculous muscles” and skin that’s tanned from time in the sun; she’s doll-like—so small her feet dangle in midair when she sits in chairs—pale-skinned, green-eyed, and bookish. Rutherford repeatedly emphasizes their physical contrast. As they’re forced together, Aurelie and Des discover shared histories of loss and isolation that draw them closer. The initially slow pacing lingers on the pair’s mutual irritation before their relationship turns romantic. Still, the book features a cast of engaging main and supporting characters who are worth rooting for. The open ending clearly sets the stage for the duology closer.
A well-characterized fantasy that’s best suited to patient readers. (Fantasy. 14-18)Pub Date: April 14, 2026
ISBN: 9781335013880
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Feb. 2, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2026
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
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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