A stunningly beautiful Sapphic adventure about figuring out love and belonging.
A fae and a human discover the surprising ways their lives are intertwined.
With Aisling’s 18th birthday looming, the happy, beloved princess is excited about her future. Her only real challenge is her violent allergy to iron. But when a strange young woman armed with a sword enters her bedroom one night as she sleeps, everything changes. The touch of the iron blade reveals her true form: a purple-skinned, green-haired, horned fae. When even her family refuses to believe it’s her, Aisling has no choice but to follow the intruder, Forget-Me-Not, a butch girl with light brown skin and blue eyes, into a fairy circle. She’s the human whose life Aisling stole, albeit unknowingly: Aisling was born into the Unseelie Court, but a scheming courtier swapped her for Forget-Me-Not, the mortal royals’ infant. Their lives may be connected, but the two seemingly can’t get along even for the short time Forget-Me-Not needs to complete her plans, using Aisling as a bargaining chip. As Aisling learns about the fae world and the evil ambitious force behind the original deception, she and Forget-Me-Not bicker, often humorously—and grow closer, until their hostility softens. But their newfound passion is put to the test: Can their love survive? Fully realized characters grace the richly colored illustrations that bring this emotion-filled page-turner to life. Costa creatively varies the panel shapes and borders, and her expressive artwork conveys true fairy-tale magic.
A stunningly beautiful Sapphic adventure about figuring out love and belonging. (Graphic fantasy. 14-18)Pub Date: April 14, 2026
ISBN: 9781250784162
Page Count: 320
Publisher: First Second
Review Posted Online: Dec. 26, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2026
BOOK REVIEW
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
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Immersive and engaging, despite some flaws, and destined to capture imaginations.
Magic, mystery, and love intertwine and invite in this newest take on the “enchanted circus” trope.
Sisters raised by their abusive father, a governor of a colonial backwater in a world vaguely reminiscent of the late 18th century, Scarlett and Donatella each long for something more. Scarlett, olive-skinned, dark of hair and attitude, longs for Caraval, the fabled, magical circus helmed by the possibly evil Master Legend Santos, while blonde, sunny Tella finds comfort in drink and the embraces of various men. A slightly awkward start, with inconsistencies of attitude and setting, rapidly smooths out when they, along with handsome “golden-brown” sailor Julian, flee to Caraval on the eve of Scarlett’s arranged marriage. Tella disappears, and Scarlett must navigate a nighttime world of magic to find her. Caraval delights the senses: beautiful and scary, described in luscious prose, this is a show readers will wish they could enter. Dresses can be purchased for secrets or days of life; clocks can become doors; bridges move: this is an inventive and original circus, laced with an edge of horror. A double love story, one sensual romance and the other sisterly loyalty, anchors the plot, but the real star here is Caraval and its secrets.
Immersive and engaging, despite some flaws, and destined to capture imaginations. (Fantasy. 14 & up)Pub Date: Jan. 31, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-250-09525-1
Page Count: 416
Publisher: Flatiron Books
Review Posted Online: Sept. 18, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2016
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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