A fast-paced trilogy opener full of intrigue and surprises.
A young woman unwillingly becomes entangled in a prophecy.
Persephone, who only knows a life of enslavement and scarcity, is confronted with a chicken thief who changes her life. Azriel plays on her sympathies, persuading her to hand over a chicken before purchasing Persephone from her owner. Handsome, blue-eyed Azriel believes Persephone can save his people, the nomadic Methusians, and fulfill a prophecy that would put one of them on the throne to “unite the five clans of Glyndoria and set things to right for all people.” However, dark-haired, violet-eyed Persephone doesn’t believe in the prophecy and dreams of escaping to freedom along with her devoted animal friends, a dog, a horse, and a hawk. Meanwhile, the Regent Mordesius, a clever and power-hungry adviser in the royal court, will stop at nothing, manipulating young King Finnius of Erok and torturing the innocent as part of his quest for Erok to rule over all of Glyndoria. He also hopes to heal his deformities (sustained in childhood when the rest of his family was burned alive) through the fabled Pool of Genezing. Romance and comedic dialogue and situations balance the bloodthirsty villainy, and the surprise twists will keep readers guessing. The third-person omniscient voice moves the engaging plot along. Unfortunately, Mordesius’ character arc and the brutal language used to describe his physical differences evoke ableist tropes. The main characters are cued white.
A fast-paced trilogy opener full of intrigue and surprises. (Fantasy romance. 14-18)Pub Date: Jan. 14, 2025
ISBN: 9781774886076
Page Count: 352
Publisher: Tundra Books
Review Posted Online: Nov. 23, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 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 thoughtful and thrilling story of life, death, and meaning.
Two teens train to be society-sanctioned killers in an otherwise immortal world.
On post-mortal Earth, humans live long (if not particularly passionate) lives without fear of disease, aging, or accidents. Operating independently of the governing AI (called the Thunderhead since it evolved from the cloud), scythes rely on 10 commandments, quotas, and their own moral codes to glean the population. After challenging Hon. Scythe Faraday, 16-year-olds Rowan Damisch and Citra Terranova reluctantly become his apprentices. Subjected to killcraft training, exposed to numerous executions, and discouraged from becoming allies or lovers, the two find themselves engaged in a fatal competition but equally determined to fight corruption and cruelty. The vivid and often violent action unfolds slowly, anchored in complex worldbuilding and propelled by political machinations and existential musings. Scythes’ journal entries accompany Rowan’s and Citra’s dual and dueling narratives, revealing both personal struggles and societal problems. The futuristic post–2042 MidMerican world is both dystopia and utopia, free of fear, unexpected death, and blatant racism—multiracial main characters discuss their diverse ethnic percentages rather than purity—but also lacking creativity, emotion, and purpose. Elegant and elegiac, brooding but imbued with gallows humor, Shusterman’s dark tale thrusts realistic, likable teens into a surreal situation and raises deep philosophic questions.
A thoughtful and thrilling story of life, death, and meaning. (Science fiction. 14 & up)Pub Date: Nov. 29, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-4424-7242-6
Page Count: 448
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: July 25, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2016
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
