Sapphic love, a murder mystery, and a smash-the-patriarchy adventure add up to great fun.
Romance, murder, revenge! What more could readers ask for?
Ana Lezama de Urinza and Eustaquia “Kiki” de Sonza are best friends even though Ana was brought up in a brothel, while Kiki is the daughter of a baron. They struggle with a love that they know they can never admit to because the consequences in this historical Spanish Empire setting would be too great. Instead, they spend their evenings as teen vigilantes, gambling and drinking in bars and taking down those who exploit the weak. As fate would have it, violence finds them in their public lives: On the very night Kiki and Sebastian, the son of the Viceroy of Peru, are to make their first formal appearance as a betrothed couple, her older brother, Alejandro, is murdered. This launches the young women into an adventure that neither could have anticipated. Inspired by the real 17th-century Valiant Ladies of Potosí, this exciting novel opens with action and immediately draws readers in. The story’s swashbuckling tone contains a hint of the menace of Jack the Ripper, and the romance between Kiki and Ana is full of longing, making readers root for them. Alternating first-person narration offers a well-rounded view of events. The villain is easy to spot, but readers won’t mind: The strong writing and fast pace are more than enough to make this an absorbing read.
Sapphic love, a murder mystery, and a smash-the-patriarchy adventure add up to great fun. (author’s note, sources) (Historical adventure. 14-18)Pub Date: June 14, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-250-62220-4
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Review Posted Online: Aug. 16, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2022
Somberly beautiful.
A girl goes in search of her missing sister and discovers a strange hidden world of dreams.
Corin, who’s 18 and dark-skinned, strives to protect her 12-year-old sister, Elly. But life as a thief is full of struggle, poverty, and loss, even without Corin’s avoidance of other relationships. Elly clings to the promise of fairy tales, like the one that says a princess lies sleeping in an underground castle after pricking her finger on a spindle. After the sisters fight and Elly runs off, Corin searches for her in Gyldan’s old network of tunnels—and finds the tale is true: Cursed Princess Amelia, golden-haired, with eyes like “sea glass” and porcelain skin, lies asleep, surrounded by flowers. Corin enters the princess’ dreamworld—the place “where your subconscious desires come to life.” She meets Briar Rose, Amelia’s alter ego, who experienced her share of sadness and wanted to fall asleep. Also in the dreamworld is green-skinned Malicine, the nonbinary demon who, despite having placed the curse of eternal slumber on Amelia, is mostly friendly. All three are running from things they can’t face, though the dreamworld may not give them a choice. Pham’s debut, a Sapphic reimagining of “Sleeping Beauty,” explores mental health and asks a lot of readers as it seesaws between emotional confrontations, time jumps, and scenes where one character inhabits the memories of another, all of which demand intense engagement. Still, the ending is earned as well as positive.
Somberly beautiful. (content note) (Fantasy. 14-18)Pub Date: June 2, 2026
ISBN: 9798217113026
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Kokila
Review Posted Online: March 9, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2026
SEEN & HEARD
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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