A rewarding finish to an inventive, emotionally charged duology.
More mysteries arise and new romances bloom among the teens first featured in Black River (2026).
It’s been several months since Opi Silver went through the change that her older sister, Dusty, experienced: A mysterious phenomenon on White Mountain altered their bodies’ chemistry, heightening their senses and making them crave blood. While Dusty and her friend Eli Blake (whom Opi is drawn to despite herself) acquired special abilities with their changes, Opi hasn’t—and she mourns the girl she was before. Once passionate about gardening and being an herbalist, now she desires only the smell and taste of blood—a hunger that’s never satiated. When Dusty has a premonition that Opi is in danger, a detective starts sniffing around, and a menacing shadow appears, it becomes more imperative than ever to learn how everything is connected and what it all means. While the series opener focused on Dusty, Opi gets the spotlight in this lush, wintry sequel, which is a close character study with a similarly intimate feel. Opi and Eli’s slow-burn romance is delicious and sensual, and its development complements Opi’s personal growth. The broader plot advances as more questions arise and danger looms; just when it starts to feel impossible that all these threads can be wrapped up, Cottle throws in unexpected twists and ties a neat, deeply satisfying bow around the story. The leads are cued white; there’s some racial diversity among secondary characters.
A rewarding finish to an inventive, emotionally charged duology. (map) (Paranormal. 14-18)Pub Date: Oct. 13, 2026
ISBN: 9781250451767
Page Count: 368
Publisher: Henry Holt
Review Posted Online: Aug. 3, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2026
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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