Poignant, powerful, and sharply observed.
A lifelong friendship between two women from Greek mythology unfolds in this follow-up to Hekate (2025).
Styx, the daughter of the River God Oceanus, meets Asteria, the daughter of Oceanus’ brother Coeus, while escaping to the cave that’s her hideaway. They bond by practicing their supernatural powers in secret. Violet-eyed Asteria, the Goddess of Falling Stars, initially represents everything Styx is not. Styx’s “poison-green” hair and snakelike eyes prompt negative comments from others in her patriarchal society where powerful women are controlled through marriage and children and relegated to menial tasks. Unlike Asteria’s father, Oceanus refuses to grant his daughter goddess status; even Kronos the God-King expects nymphs to aid the River Gods, making Styx’s brothers far more powerful than she and her sisters. As they grow up, Asteria and Styx keep each other’s secrets, witness each other’s victories and losses, and survive the shift in power from the Titans to the Olympians. Changing perspectives offer glimpses into the lives of lesser-known Greek goddesses—and the gods who simultaneously love and fear them. Despite their immortality and supernatural powers, the goddesses are affected by the gods’ tremendous egos. Against a backdrop of war and its horrors, Styx and Asteria must protect their children. The poignant verses convey a depth of emotion familiar to women who understand the intermingled joys and pains of marriage and motherhood, and Styx’s riveting story arc prompts reflection upon the devastating societal impact of hubris.
Poignant, powerful, and sharply observed. (dramatis personae) (Verse fantasy. 13-18)Pub Date: Sept. 15, 2026
ISBN: 9780316608947
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: May 18, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2026
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
An ode to the children of migrants who have been taken away.
A Mexican American boy takes on heavy responsibilities when his family is torn apart.
Mateo’s life is turned upside down the day U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents show up unsuccessfully seeking his Pa at his New York City bodega. The Garcias live in fear until the day both parents are picked up; his Pa is taken to jail and his Ma to a detention center. The adults around Mateo offer support to him and his 7-year-old sister, Sophie, however, he knows he is now responsible for caring for her and the bodega as well as trying to survive junior year—that is, if he wants to fulfill his dream to enter the drama program at the Tisch School of the Arts and become an actor. Mateo’s relationships with his friends Kimmie and Adam (a potential love interest) also suffer repercussions as he keeps his situation a secret. Kimmie is half Korean (her other half is unspecified) and Adam is Italian American; Mateo feels disconnected from them, less American, and with worries they can’t understand. He talks himself out of choosing a safer course of action, a decision that deepens the story. Mateo’s self-awareness and inner monologue at times make him seem older than 16, and, with significant turmoil in the main plot, some side elements feel underdeveloped. Aleman’s narrative joins the ranks of heart-wrenching stories of migrant families who have been separated.
An ode to the children of migrants who have been taken away. (Fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: May 4, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-7595-5605-8
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: Feb. 22, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2021
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
© 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.
