A cinematic and enthralling flare of fey magic.
A pair of estranged stepsiblings become unwillingly entangled in a mystery that could destroy their family’s reputation and future.
Three hundred people died in the Summer Fayre tragedy, when Hàzell Stregoni succumbed to the overwhelming madness of Faerie Disorder. The victims included Hàzell’s mortal husband, Senan Maxim. Hàzell and Senan left behind two children, both just 11 cycles old, who miraculously survived the blast. One septennial later, dark-haired Hawthorne Stregoni, who has “tanned skin,” and brown-skinned, green-eyed Gristle Senan Maxim Junior can’t escape their late parents’ shadows. Except for when she’s sneaking out with her girlfriend, Hawthorne devotes herself to suppressing her fey powers so she can have a normal life. Gristle stands beside his aunt by supporting her political campaign and taking over Maxim & Maxim Private Detectives. When Hawthorne loses control at a fey-owned nightclub, the owner threatens to expose the incident unless Gristle agrees to help them uncover the truth about some suspicious activity. Gristle and Hawthorne have no choice but to investigate. This noir-inspired mystery unfolds in vivid and atmospheric prose from the perspectives of the two complex and dynamic leads. News articles, diary entries, and other evidence interspersed between chapters adds another lens for understanding the setting, history, and intricately intertwined political conflict. Cerilli’s use of Faerie Disorder as an extended metaphor for neurodivergence is rich with nuance, and the world is infused with queerness and racial diversity.
A cinematic and enthralling flare of fey magic. (map, family tree, author’s note) (Paranormal mystery. 14-18)Pub Date: Sept. 2, 2025
ISBN: 9781774882337
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Tundra Books
Review Posted Online: June 13, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2025
BOOK REVIEW
An ode to the children of migrants who have been taken away.
A Mexican American boy takes on heavy responsibilities when his family is torn apart.
Mateo’s life is turned upside down the day U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents show up unsuccessfully seeking his Pa at his New York City bodega. The Garcias live in fear until the day both parents are picked up; his Pa is taken to jail and his Ma to a detention center. The adults around Mateo offer support to him and his 7-year-old sister, Sophie, however, he knows he is now responsible for caring for her and the bodega as well as trying to survive junior year—that is, if he wants to fulfill his dream to enter the drama program at the Tisch School of the Arts and become an actor. Mateo’s relationships with his friends Kimmie and Adam (a potential love interest) also suffer repercussions as he keeps his situation a secret. Kimmie is half Korean (her other half is unspecified) and Adam is Italian American; Mateo feels disconnected from them, less American, and with worries they can’t understand. He talks himself out of choosing a safer course of action, a decision that deepens the story. Mateo’s self-awareness and inner monologue at times make him seem older than 16, and, with significant turmoil in the main plot, some side elements feel underdeveloped. Aleman’s narrative joins the ranks of heart-wrenching stories of migrant families who have been separated.
An ode to the children of migrants who have been taken away. (Fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: May 4, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-7595-5605-8
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: Feb. 22, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2021
BOOK REVIEW
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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