A delicious blend of survival, fantasy, and romance.
Black Water Island is a place of savage beauty and immense power. It is home to the Rift.
Nine years ago, a Rift Hound attack left Meg Archer and Cal West scarred emotionally and physically. It also endowed Cal with chilling preternatural abilities and gave Meg an overwhelming sense of guilt that still haunts her. Now almost 18, Meg is returning to the island, hoping to claim her place as a ranger, one of the island’s guardians. Orphaned 17-year-old Cal was raised by the ruthless head ranger—Meg’s estranged father. The Rift—vaguely defined as a “dimensional peculiarity”—is about to open, allowing the deadly Hounds to enter the world. The teens must face these otherworldly threats, as well as dangers closer to home, and their growing attraction to each other. Meg and Cal share the third-person present narration, and the universal adolescent struggle to fit in dominates their thoughts. Cal, the son of a fisherman, has always felt like an outsider, and Meg is desperate to take her place as ranger. Humor punctuates the overall serious tone. Fantasy and reality are deftly interwoven, making suspension of disbelief possible. The action unfolds swiftly; events of the past are revealed at a subtle pace. Assume whiteness throughout with the exception of two peripheral characters of color.
A delicious blend of survival, fantasy, and romance. (Fantasy. 12-18)Pub Date: Oct. 8, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-5362-1128-3
Page Count: 368
Publisher: Candlewick
Review Posted Online: July 13, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2019
A promising premise that’s lacking in spice.
A fall romance with a New England backdrop.
Autumn leaves aren’t the only stunning thing to hit the town of Briar Glen—so has good-looking new boy Jack Harper, and Lucy Kane is enamored with both. Her new crush is the perfect thing to take her mind off the fact that Java Junction, part of a global chain, is opening across the street from Cup o’ Jo, Lucy’s mother’s coffee shop, where they take pride in baking everything from scratch and avoiding artificial ingredients. But there’s more than coincidence in the timing of the arrivals of both Jack and Java Junction: The Harper family moved to Briar Glen specifically to open this franchise location, which will bring competition that threatens Cup o’ Jo. This scenario has the makings of a perfect autumnal adversaries-to-lovers romance, but the writing lacks charm and chemistry. Jack seems to be completely enamored with Lucy, but her character isn’t sufficiently developed to warrant his attention. Lucy’s friends are continually supportive of her but have few distinguishing characteristics, and the story is weakened by confusing timelines and repetitive elements. The resolution relies upon successes that come too easily and do not feel earned. Major characters are cued white.
A promising premise that’s lacking in spice. (Romance. 12-16)Pub Date: Aug. 6, 2024
ISBN: 9781339030753
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: May 17, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2024
A compelling romance inhabited by complex and appealing characters.
When star hockey player Alec Barczewski’s estranged childhood friend, Dani Collins, moves to town, they end up in a mutually beneficial fake-dating relationship that reignites old feelings.
Following her parents’ divorce, Dani and her mom move in with Dani’s hockey legend grandfather in Southview, Minnesota, where she spent a month every summer as a child and where her friendship with Alec grew. Between visits, the two were pen pals, but they eventually fell out of touch. Despite some tensions over their loss of friendship, the high school seniors reconnect. Desperate to get off Harvard’s waitlist, Dani needs another extracurricular activity, while Alec—whose reputation took a hit when a photo of him holding a bong appeared on social media—is eager to improve his tarnished image for NHL scouts. The pair strike a deal: They’ll fake date, making Alec look like a stable guy whose academically gifted girlfriend is related to hockey royalty, and in exchange, he’ll get Dani a team manager position that will catch the eye of Harvard’s admissions officers. Eventually, complicated feelings about their past, stressful family relationships, and their brewing romance boil over. Romance fans will love the deliciously tension-filled scenes between Alec and Dani, who are believable friends with heavy demands weighing on them. They feel like real teenagers, and readers will enjoy rooting for them as the well-paced story unfolds. Main characters present white.
A compelling romance inhabited by complex and appealing characters. (Romance. 14-18)Pub Date: Sept. 30, 2025
ISBN: 9781665921268
Page Count: 448
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Aug. 2, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2025
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