Fury reverberates throughout this duology opener, making for a thrilling read.
In this debut that’s infused with elements of Inca history, a teen vows retribution after being torn from her family.
Living in a society where girls are snatched away and “trained to become wives and servants and gifted to houses” as the emperor wishes, 17-year-old Nina and her younger sisters, Sacha and Lali, are on alert when a kunay named Kasik, an adviser to Emperor Maicu, arrives unannounced on the family farm. When Kasik tries to take Sacha, Nina offers herself up instead. She soon learns she’s being brought back to the acllahuasi—the “house of the chosen ones.” What neither Nina nor her hot captor, Kasik, anticipate is that they’ll develop a steamy mutual attraction during their journey back to the palace of Amaru Kancha, which is a problem because Nina has been selected to become the emperor’s wife. When her attay, or magic, fully manifests, it further complicates everything. Told from Nina’s and Kasik’s dual points of view, the book allows readers to develop empathy for both leads as they grapple with their demons and insecurities. Inspired by the fate of the Maiden of Llullaillaco, this story levitates with its fierce rage. Nina is a charmingly flawed character, devoted to her sisters and seething with a desire to take vengeance against the emperor, but her struggles with the darker nature of her power at times borders on the repetitive and tedious.
Fury reverberates throughout this duology opener, making for a thrilling read. (map, glossary, author’s note) (Fantasy. 14-18)Pub Date: June 2, 2026
ISBN: 9780063388741
Page Count: 368
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: April 14, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 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
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
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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