Another enjoyable romance for fans of this fractured fairy tale series.
A heartbroken girl must learn to trust again—before a mysterious illness claims her entire school.
After being cruelly betrayed by a boy, Rosetta Academy senior Daphne Elizabeth “DE” McKinley is done with dating. Encouraged by her best friend, Jaya, to consult town psychic Madame Olivera, DE receives an ominous warning about an impending storm—and a death. Madame Olivera also gives her a note stating that, with an open heart, DE can vanquish the storm. Unconvinced, she dismisses it as a hoax. She also eschews love, even resisting handsome new boy Xander Murthy. But DE and Xander find a strange doll from 1873 in the woods, and after DE pricks her finger on something sharp in its body, the academy is enveloped in a severe snowstorm, and students start succumbing to a comalike sleeping sickness. When Xander reveals that his great-great-great-uncle, a Rosetta student, mysteriously died in his sleep during the great storm of 1873, the two work together to uncover long-kept secrets and save their friends. Told from the alternating perspectives of DE and Xander, this retelling of “Sleeping Beauty” includes some appearances by characters from previous entries and is a fun addition to the series. DE experiences many relatable post-breakup feelings before finding herself again, and Xander’s family history touches on generational cycles of addiction. DE is white; Xander is Indian, Irish, Scottish, and West African.
Another enjoyable romance for fans of this fractured fairy tale series. (map) (Romance. 12-18)Pub Date: Sept. 19, 2023
ISBN: 9781534417601
Page Count: 272
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: June 8, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2023
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
In addition to the supernatural elements, Brosgol interweaves some savvy insights about the illusion of perfection and...
A deliciously creepy page-turning gem from first-time writer and illustrator Brosgol finds brooding teenager Anya trying to escape the past—both her own and the ghost haunting her.
Anya feels out of place at her preppy private school; embarrassed by her Russian heritage, she has worked hard to lose her accent and to look more like everyone else. After a particularly frustrating morning at the bus stop, Anya storms off, only to accidentally fall down a well. Down in the dark hole, she meets Emily, a ghost who claims to be a murder victim trapped down in the dank abyss for 90 years. With Emily’s help, Anya manages to escape, though once free, she learns that Emily has traveled out with her. At first, Emily seems like the perfect friend; however, once her motives become clear, Anya learns that “perfect” may only be an illusion. A moodily atmospheric spectrum of grays washes over the clean, tidy panels, setting a distinct stage before the first words appear. Brosgol’s tight storytelling invokes the chilling feeling of Neil Gaiman’s Coraline (2002), though for a decidedly older set.
In addition to the supernatural elements, Brosgol interweaves some savvy insights about the illusion of perfection and outward appearance. (Graphic supernatural fiction. 12 & up)Pub Date: June 7, 2011
ISBN: 978-1-59643-552-0
Page Count: 224
Publisher: First Second
Review Posted Online: April 18, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2011
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