An ambitious finale with impressive worldbuilding that doesn’t fully overcome a complex plot and overly tidy resolution.
An exiled people and their fractured empire face a reckoning shaped by magic, vengeance, and long-buried secrets in this duology closer.
After the Kegari invasion devastates the Empire, Crown Prince Quil seeks to end the conflict and neutralize the Loha-powered Sails. Sirsha, an outcast Jaduna tracker and Quil’s Adah-bonded partner, is bound to the dangerous spirit Mother Div. She searches for the creature’s origins, hoping to destroy her, while resisting her influence. Aiz bet-Dafra, claiming to be the Holy Tel Ilessi, continues her pursuit of Loha. Kegari windsmither Cero, Aiz’s former friend, defects to the Resistance and joins Karinna Veturia, a Resistance fighter from Tribe Saif, on a mission west to find Old Kegar. As their paths converge, each must decide what future to fight for and what sacrifices they must make. The novel presents a diverse, richly imagined world with immersive descriptions and ambitious, interwoven storylines. But the numerous open elements from the first book make the lead-up to the finale feel prolonged and occasionally difficult to follow. The conclusion neatly wraps up these threads, though some of the resolutions seem convenient rather than fully earned. Readers may find that the stakes of the romantic relationships feel less engaging than the political machinations. While the novel’s scope and atmosphere are strong, its pacing, emotional impact, and tone are less consistent.
An ambitious finale with impressive worldbuilding that doesn’t fully overcome a complex plot and overly tidy resolution. (map) (Fantasy. 14-18)Pub Date: Sept. 22, 2026
ISBN: 9780593616970
Page Count: 512
Publisher: Putnam
Review Posted Online: July 20, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2026
An ode to the children of migrants who have been taken away.
A Mexican American boy takes on heavy responsibilities when his family is torn apart.
Mateo’s life is turned upside down the day U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents show up unsuccessfully seeking his Pa at his New York City bodega. The Garcias live in fear until the day both parents are picked up; his Pa is taken to jail and his Ma to a detention center. The adults around Mateo offer support to him and his 7-year-old sister, Sophie, however, he knows he is now responsible for caring for her and the bodega as well as trying to survive junior year—that is, if he wants to fulfill his dream to enter the drama program at the Tisch School of the Arts and become an actor. Mateo’s relationships with his friends Kimmie and Adam (a potential love interest) also suffer repercussions as he keeps his situation a secret. Kimmie is half Korean (her other half is unspecified) and Adam is Italian American; Mateo feels disconnected from them, less American, and with worries they can’t understand. He talks himself out of choosing a safer course of action, a decision that deepens the story. Mateo’s self-awareness and inner monologue at times make him seem older than 16, and, with significant turmoil in the main plot, some side elements feel underdeveloped. Aleman’s narrative joins the ranks of heart-wrenching stories of migrant families who have been separated.
An ode to the children of migrants who have been taken away. (Fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: May 4, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-7595-5605-8
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: Feb. 22, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2021
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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