A sharply original blend of romance and dark fantasy.
Five hundred years ago, the heretic Ruven imprisoned Runakhia’s royal family inside magical briar, silencing the gods they serve; in breaking the spell, a 17-year-old learns a fateful lesson: Be careful what you wish for.
After she lost her family to the plague, Lia Kurinava was raised by nuns who worship Nin-Anna, one of eight deities who formerly blessed Runakhia. A rare commoner born with the Royal Gift that permits the royal family to enter the gods’ realm, Lia uses her gift to breach the briar and kill Ruven. She awakens the royal family from their enchanted sleep to seek the gods’ help in defeating the plague and Runakhia’s enemies. The chillingly indifferent deities whom Runakhians worship work their magic through human saints whose miracles eventually cause the saints’ horrific deaths. They’re more demonic than saintly, according to Ruven, who’s now a tormenting but charismatic ghost upon whom Lia increasingly depends as she’s ordered to help the royals re-enter modern life, restore the gods to Runakhia, and marry Prince Araunn. Ruven may be her worst enemy—or her only hope—in her quest to ensure the gods are worthy of their powers. Sedate pacing and high-fantasy psychic distance lend heft to an original tale unfolding from an unsettling premise. Beyond the charmingly disembodied love story, the question of whether humans might outgrow their gods offers intriguing food for thought. Major characters are cued white.
A sharply original blend of romance and dark fantasy. (the gods and their shrines) (Fantasy romance. 13-18)Pub Date: March 5, 2024
ISBN: 9780062869135
Page Count: 368
Publisher: Balzer + Bray/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Dec. 6, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2024
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
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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