Teen romance with, as Dr. Who (one of those pop-culture referents) might say, some “timey-wimey stuff” makes for good fun
Teens race to save time and space in this fast-paced third book.
Dune Ta’ala accepts a job in New Orleans guarding the sullen, sheltered and superpowered 17-year-old Hallie Girard. Used to working with the Hourglass Institute, Dune finds himself among time-traveling thieves led by Hallie’s father, Paul Girard, the true head of Chronos and an intimidating magic Mafia boss. Dune goes to study the Infinityglass—capable of transferring powers and fixing time rips and newly discovered to be a person rather than an object—but stays for the unpredictable but always entertaining Hallie. A chameleon, Hallie has found freedom in dancing, barhopping and occasional burglaries on her father’s behalf, but now she discovers that she is not who or what she thought she was. Initially combative, Hallie grows to rely on Dune as the time rips grow stronger, her powers change, and the melodramatically villainous former head of Chronos, Teague, and the psychopathic memory-meddler, Jack Landers, come to town. Mysterious Poe and the Hourglass teens also make an appearance, and previous books are neatly recapped. McEntire (Timepiece, 2012) saves the romantic scenes from cliché and wryly acknowledges all possible pop-culture inspirations in an enjoyable, fast read.
Teen romance with, as Dr. Who (one of those pop-culture referents) might say, some “timey-wimey stuff” makes for good fun . (Science fiction. 14 & up)Pub Date: Aug. 6, 2013
ISBN: 978-1-60684-441-0
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Egmont USA
Review Posted Online: June 25, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2013
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
An entertaining and atmospheric, though sometimes clumsy, exploration of the true cost of beauty.
In this retelling of a classic, a drama student’s obsession with beauty leads her down a dark—and possibly deadly—path.
Eighteen-year-old Penny Paxton is beginning her first year at Dorian Drama Academy in Edinburgh, Scotland, where she hopes to follow in her starlet mother’s footsteps—and earn the love that her mother has never seemed to offer. At Dorian, Penny is mentored by Royal Shakespeare Company legend Orlagh Camran, who makes her the compelling offer of a portrait by the Masked Painter, a mysterious artist with the ability to gift his subjects everlasting youth and beauty. But shortly after Penny’s portrait is complete, several of the Masked Painter’s subjects are found murdered. Fearing that she’s made a terrible mistake and may become the next victim, Penny, who’s gay, begins to investigate the murders with the help of an unlikely ally. As she attempts to uncover the truth surrounding the Masked Painter and the murders, she’s forced to reckon with her own toxic obsession with beauty. This chilling, atmospheric novel, inspired by The Picture of Dorian Gray, is entertaining and full of twists, though some of the reveals feel contrived and some questions are left unanswered. The plot unravels at a leisurely pace but eventually builds to an action-packed (if somewhat convoluted) conclusion. Most characters are cued white.
An entertaining and atmospheric, though sometimes clumsy, exploration of the true cost of beauty. (content note, author’s note, bonus scene) (Fantasy thriller. 14-18)Pub Date: May 26, 2026
ISBN: 9781250346797
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Wednesday Books
Review Posted Online: March 9, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2026
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