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
A light and entertaining plot-driven romance.
A Connecticut girl and her best friend devise a series of plans in order to achieve their goals: following a dream and winning back an ex.
Eighteen-year-old Audrey Barbour has a Master Plan: attend Blue Ridge Glass School in North Carolina and someday turn her Etsy shop, Golightly Glass, into a thriving business. But her uber-wealthy parents insist that she instead follow in their footsteps and go to business school. So Audrey decides to go find the tuition money she needs with help from her best friend, Henry Chen. Henry needs a favor, too: He hopes that fake dating Audrey will help him win back his ex-girlfriend, and he points out to a reluctant Audrey that this could make her crush, Griffin, notice her. While Audrey’s parents vacation in France for three weeks, the pair rent out the Barbour mansion on the Long Island Sound. Soon romantic chemistry grows alongside their business partnership. Despite the pair’s great preparation and an abundance of secondary characters with connections and talents to help pull off their increasingly ambitious ideas, plans go awry, leaving Audrey and Henry scrambling and second-guessing their choices. The pacing is even, but the characters often take a back seat to the whirlwind of activity that drives the plot, with the emphasis falling on each person’s practical skills and their role in keeping the action moving over their emotional bonds. Audrey is white, and Henry’s surname cues him as Chinese American.
A light and entertaining plot-driven romance. (Romance. 14-18)Pub Date: March 31, 2026
ISBN: 9780593904794
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Delacorte Romance
Review Posted Online: Dec. 12, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2026
BOOK REVIEW
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
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