An action-packed finale on a grand scale.
Persephone confronts her heart and her fears as she heads into battle in this final book in the Fractured Kingdom trilogy.
After several setbacks, Persephone is captured and left to face great challenges alone without having time to grieve the death of her brother. She must decide once and for all what role and responsibilities she’s going to accept and how Azriel will fit into it all. Mordesius, the duplicitous regent set on reigning over the kingdom himself, will stop at nothing to take what he wants, including brutally disfiguring or killing his foes—and even his allies. Mordesius, who’s portrayed as bitter about his disability, despises servants who “flaunt their strong bodies and straight limbs in front of him.” The lives of everyone in the five clans of Glyndoria hang in the balance, but Persephone can’t save them all on her own. Drawing upon her determination, compassion, and ingenuity, Persephone escapes her captors and works to unite the clans of the kingdom for this worthy cause. She races against time to find Azriel so he can keep his oath and assist her in stopping the murderous Mordesius. Will the prophecy that started it all finally be fulfilled or will all be lost? The third-person omniscient narration shifts among multiple characters’ points of view, maintaining a fast pace that will keep readers’ attention. Most main characters present white.
An action-packed finale on a grand scale. (content warning) (Fantasy romance. 14-18)Pub Date: Sept. 23, 2025
ISBN: 9781774886113
Page Count: 376
Publisher: Tundra Books
Review Posted Online: Aug. 29, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2025
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
A delicious winter romance that shimmers with classic fairy-tale magic.
An 18-year-old’s encounter with the pale, mysterious, golden-eyed Starmaker transforms her from hamlet girl to magical apprentice.
Aurora Finch discovers she possesses the rare ability to channel sunlight—magic essential to the survival of snow-covered Reverie, her mountain village, “with peaks so high the Sun [cannot] rise above them.” Now she faces a harsh choice: Leave everything behind to train at the Starmaker’s enchanted castle or die as the untapped magic destroys her from within. Griffin excels at worldbuilding; the story is filled with elements and characters that feel both whimsical and real, from Tilly, a living snow angel who’s searching for herself, to Constance, an immortal rabbit. As the antagonism between Aurora and the cold, centuries-old Starmaker melts, their love story, which forms the heart of this tale, crackles with tension. Aurora emerges as a compelling hero—stubborn and brave—who refuses to be diminished by the overwhelming responsibilities thrust upon her. The romantic storyline proves both strong and emotionally involving as the author brings fresh twists to familiar elements, exploring the power of stories and how they shape our understanding of the world. White-presenting Aurora faces a devastating truth that creates urgency and heightens the emotional stakes that drive the story to its conclusion. This satisfying, sparkling fantasy will capture hearts with its well-developed setting and captivating love story.
A delicious winter romance that shimmers with classic fairy-tale magic. (author’s note) (Fantasy. 14-18)Pub Date: Feb. 17, 2026
ISBN: 9781728256184
Page Count: 448
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Review Posted Online: Oct. 10, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2025
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