A smooth and imaginative-enough adventure, complete with romance, monsters and mythology.
An orphan girl seeks a family and finds more than she could have expected.
When her mother dies, Delia tries to reach the Maine island where her grandmother lives but finds it cut off from the world. Finally, an old man takes her there, but no one welcomes her. Uncovering the secrets of the island, she learns that a race of demigods tied to ancient Greek mythology controls everything that happens there, while the occupants do their best to accommodate those they see as their protectors. Those accommodations, however, include demanding great sacrifices from some of their young people. Worse, real monsters lurk just under the surface of the sea, and a few might be found on land as well. But when the celebration of Revel arrives, Delia acts as no other has dared in the history of the island. Tension flares when both Delia and Jax, her supernatural protector, step outside the rules. Demigod or not, Jax doesn’t control the forces or the true rulers of the island. Guibord keeps the focus on the island’s unfolding mysteries and on the adventure, throwing in two possible romantic partners for Delia: a handsome local boy and Jax, the (thankfully) unhandsome, rebellious demigod. Characters come across as believable and engaging, especially Delia’s tough grandma, Ben, the seaman who, as he says, is older than he looks, and iconoclastic Jax.
A smooth and imaginative-enough adventure, complete with romance, monsters and mythology. (Paranormal romance. 12 & up)Pub Date: Feb. 12, 2013
ISBN: 978-0-385-74187-3
Page Count: 352
Publisher: Delacorte
Review Posted Online: Nov. 30, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2012
BOOK REVIEW
A light and entertaining plot-driven romance.
A Connecticut girl and her best friend devise a series of plans in order to achieve their goals: following a dream and winning back an ex.
Eighteen-year-old Audrey Barbour has a Master Plan: attend Blue Ridge Glass School in North Carolina and someday turn her Etsy shop, Golightly Glass, into a thriving business. But her uber-wealthy parents insist that she instead follow in their footsteps and go to business school. So Audrey decides to go find the tuition money she needs with help from her best friend, Henry Chen. Henry needs a favor, too: He hopes that fake dating Audrey will help him win back his ex-girlfriend, and he points out to a reluctant Audrey that this could make her crush, Griffin, notice her. While Audrey’s parents vacation in France for three weeks, the pair rent out the Barbour mansion on the Long Island Sound. Soon romantic chemistry grows alongside their business partnership. Despite the pair’s great preparation and an abundance of secondary characters with connections and talents to help pull off their increasingly ambitious ideas, plans go awry, leaving Audrey and Henry scrambling and second-guessing their choices. The pacing is even, but the characters often take a back seat to the whirlwind of activity that drives the plot, with the emphasis falling on each person’s practical skills and their role in keeping the action moving over their emotional bonds. Audrey is white, and Henry’s surname cues him as Chinese American.
A light and entertaining plot-driven romance. (Romance. 14-18)Pub Date: March 31, 2026
ISBN: 9780593904794
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Delacorte Romance
Review Posted Online: Dec. 12, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2026
BOOK REVIEW
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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