Swashbuckling, swoony, and filled with intrigue.
Forbidden love blooms between young royals against a backdrop of war and magic.
Prince Zayd of Dakaria doesn’t have time to grieve his dying father or savor a hard-won battle before he’s thrust into assuming a throne he isn’t ready for. Between fending off silver-hungry pirates, trying to avoid an unwanted engagement, and concealing a wound from a deadly poisoned arrow that’s curable only by a rare antidote, Zayd, who has warm brown skin and dark hair, is stretched thinner than his depleted army. Seventeen-year-old, dark-haired, amber-eyed Princess Layla of Sawan arrives in Dakaria reeling from the loss of her father, the shock of her mother’s forcing her betrothal to a prince from Fallowmere (the empire that once colonized and nearly exterminated her people), and the weight of keeping a dangerous secret. She finds an unlikely confidante in the equally overburdened Zayd. As their wary bond deepens into something neither can dare to entertain, whispers of long-suppressed magic resurface, and old prophecies stir, Zayd and Layla must decide if they’re willing to risk their hearts. In her YA debut, Hafiza balances palace machinations, battlefield tension, and a slow-burn romance with confidence, grounding her South Asian–inspired fantasy in the geopolitics of trade, colonization, and resource scarcity that give the plot real stakes. Zayd’s voice—weary and self-deprecating—carries the narrative well, while Layla’s sharper, more guarded affect and clipped retorts mask her real vulnerability.
Swashbuckling, swoony, and filled with intrigue. (map) (Romantasy. 13-18)Pub Date: Nov. 3, 2026
ISBN: 9798347116126
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Salaam Reads/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: today
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2026
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 worthy second-chance romance.
In this follow-up to 2021’s Better Than the Movies, a 20-year-old college freshman gets a second chance at his dreams.
After the death of his father and his mother’s subsequent physical and emotional disappearance, Wes Bennett left behind all of his plans and the girl he made them with to go home and take care of Sarah, his younger sister. But now, Sarah has graduated, his mom is back on her feet, and by some miracle, Wes has an offer to pitch for UCLA’s baseball team. Liz Buxbaum, the girl he’s always loved, works for the university’s athletic department, taking photos and video of the team for social media, which means that maybe he can have a second chance at love, too. But since Wes left, Liz has made every effort to protect herself from ever feeling that broken again; there’s no room for love, because she doesn’t believe in it anymore. Or she doesn’t want to. This second-chance sports romance includes fake dates, quippy and quirky best friends, real heartache, and the sweet ache of first love. The clever dialogue keeps readers from drowning in the main characters’ emotional push-and-pull. Reading the first novel isn’t necessary for appreciating this one, although knowing the full history between Wes and Liz will only add to the ache and longing readers feel from and for them. Main characters are cued white.
A worthy second-chance romance. (Romance. 14-18)Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2024
ISBN: 9781665947138
Page Count: 368
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: July 19, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2024
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