A passionate story with serious pacing problems.
A Texas teenager is transported to the Otherworld, where she discovers that she’s engaged to its crown prince.
When Dori met Charlotte, a new student at her high school, she was shocked to hear that she was desperate to escape an arranged marriage, not to mention surprised that Charlotte had a magical gift—and insisted that Dori had one, too. After Charlotte runs away, 18-year-old Dori is kidnapped to become the prince’s betrothed in her stead. Although Dori knew nothing of the Four Worlds—of which the Otherworld and the Mortalworld, or Earth, are only two—she soon finds herself entrenched in the life of the royal palace: going to balls, having adventures, and accidentally falling in love with Prince Garret. Dori desperately wants to go home, but she discovers her own magical gift—a powerful one, at that—which might allow her to enact much-needed change in the Otherworld. Dori must choose whether to stay and accept her fate or return to the life she always thought was her destiny. The novel unfortunately gets bogged down in dull, complicated explanations detailing the politics of the Otherworld, and the narrative pacing isn’t helped by writing that focuses on describing clothing over advancing the plot. The main characters’ slow-burn love affair is both steamy and chaste and will appeal to romance fans. Dori is cued white; there is racial diversity in the supporting cast.
A passionate story with serious pacing problems. (Fantasy romance. 12-18)Pub Date: June 4, 2024
ISBN: 9781998839148
Page Count: 304
Publisher: 5310 Publishing
Review Posted Online: May 30, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2024
A lackluster and sometimes disturbing mishmash of overused tropes.
The Plague has left a population divided between Elites and Ordinaries—those who have powers and those who don’t; now, an Ordinary teen fights for her life.
Paedyn Gray witnessed the king kill her father five years ago, and she’s been thieving and sleeping rough ever since, all while faking Psychic abilities. When she inadvertently saves the life of Prince Kai, she becomes embroiled in the Purging Trials, a competition to commemorate the sickness that killed most of the kingdom’s Ordinaries. Kai’s duties as the future Enforcer include eradicating any remaining Ordinaries, and these Trials are his chance to prove that he’s internalized his brutal training. But Kai can’t help but find Pae’s blue eyes, silver hair, and unabashed attitude enchanting. She likewise struggles to resist his stormy gray eyes, dark hair, and rakish behavior, even as they’re pitted against each other in the Trials and by the king himself. Scenes and concepts that are strongly reminiscent of the Hunger Games fall flat: They aren’t bolstered by the original’s heart or worldbuilding logic that would have justified a few extreme story elements. Illogical leaps and inconsistent characterizations abound, with lighthearted romantic interludes juxtaposed against genocide, child abuse, and sadism. These elements, which are not sufficiently addressed, combined with the use of ableist language, cannot be erased by any amount of romantic banter. Main characters are cued white; the supporting cast has some brown-skinned characters.
A lackluster and sometimes disturbing mishmash of overused tropes. (map) (Fantasy. 14-18)Pub Date: Nov. 7, 2023
ISBN: 9798987380406
Page Count: 538
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Sept. 9, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2023
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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