An exciting fantasy tale with entertaining reinventions of classic characters.
Three supernatural women come together to fight evil and save their land in Wright’s fairy-tale-inspired horror-fantasy YA novel.
Seventeen-year-old Snow White has pale skin, dark hair, rose-red lips, and a thirst for blood. The vampire princess has lived with her need to feast on others since birth, but unlike other vampires, she has a soul and can freely walk in sunlight. Her mother died long ago, and after marrying her evil stepmother, her father lost his life as well. Now, her stepmother is holding the throne until Snow White comes of age; the older woman plots against the younger, spreading vicious rumors about her. She also has her groundskeeper take Snow White into the Forbidden Forest, where, after telling her the truth about her stepmother, he dies while saving her from bandits. Snow White soon finds she’s not completely alone, however, when she meets teenage vegan werewolf Red Riding Hood. The two aren’t safe for long, as they must fight a group of vampires and then escape from Red Riding Hood’s angry werewolf pack, including her furious grandmother. They first make their way to a cabin on a mountain where seven brothers offer them safety and shelter for a time. If the young women can escape their enemies’ clutches, they’ll have to go to the Charming Kingdom to meet up with teenage Cinderella, a good witch in training. Wright has created a fantastical setting with intriguing reinventions of classic tales, transforming their characters into modern, spunky heroes. Each shows brand-new complexity; for example, Snow White’s heart of gold is juxtaposed with her vampiric needs. The story is full of memorable side players as well, including the Grim, a talking cat who helps Snow White on her journey. The work is further aided by Wright’s excellent use of humor, as well as action scenes that pack a punch: “The huge gamekeeper swung his axe once again, catching another bandit across the body. The man let out a bloodcurdling scream as another bandit rushed up behind Garth and sunk his rusty sword into the gamekeeper’s back.”
An exciting fantasy tale with entertaining reinventions of classic characters.Pub Date: Aug. 22, 2023
ISBN: 979-8988995739
Page Count: 309
Publisher: Witch Way Books
Review Posted Online: Oct. 23, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2023
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
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
A descriptive and atmospheric paranormal social thriller that could be a bit tighter.
After a Nigerian British girl goes off to an exclusive boarding school that seems to prey on less-privileged students, she discovers there might be some truth behind an urban legend.
Ife Adebola joins the Urban Achievers scholarship program at pricey, high-pressure Nithercott School, arriving shortly after a student called Leon mysteriously disappeared. Gossip says he’s a victim of the glowing-eyed Changing Man who targets the lonely, leaving them changed. Ife doesn’t believe in the myth, but amid the stresses of Nithercott’s competitive, privileged, majority-white environment, where she is constantly reminded of her state school background, she does miss her friends and family. When Malika, a fellow Black scholarship student, disappears and then returns, acting strangely devoid of personality, Ife worries the Changing Man is real—and that she’s next. Ife joins forces with classmate Bijal and Benny, Leon’s younger brother, to uncover the truth about who the Changing Man is and what he wants. Culminating in a detailed, gory, and extended climactic battle, this verbose thriller tempts readers with a nefarious mystery involving racial and class-based violence but never quite lives up to its potential and peters out thematically by its explosive finale. However, this debut offers highly visually evocative and eerie descriptions of characters and events and will appeal to fans of creature horror, social commentary, and dark academia.
A descriptive and atmospheric paranormal social thriller that could be a bit tighter. (Thriller. 14-18)Pub Date: Sept. 26, 2023
ISBN: 9781250868138
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Review Posted Online: June 8, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2023
BOOK REVIEW
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