Utterly absorbing; a must for fans of Sarah J. Maas’ Throne of Glass (2012) and its sequels. (Fantasy. 13-adult)
After banishment as a child, a girl must brave a treacherous estate to save her father and unearth her past.
White teen Jules Ember lives with her father in the kingdom of Sempera, where they struggle to make rent. The Gerling family, owners of the Everless estate, collect tenants’ blood-iron: coins forged from blood, each equating to increments of time that can be added to a life span. Desperate to save her ailing father, Jules hopes to work at Everless to earn enough blood-iron to pay their debts. There’s a royal wedding approaching and much to be done. Lord Roan Gerling, also white, whom Jules grew up with, is betrothed to the ward of the queen. Jules hopes Roan will remember her, and her heart stutters when she sees him. Her father forbids her to go to Everless, warning her never to let the queen near her. But Jules sets out on a dangerous path; she can pause time itself, and memories of her childhood aren’t what they seem. Rather than hide from the queen, she’s determined to find out their true connection—ultimately risking everything. Though tropes abound, characters are given room to grow past them. Propelled by inventive lore and magic, Jules’ story, which she narrates in the present tense, is a heady, addicting page-turner—especially for readers who prize worldbuilding over romance.
Utterly absorbing; a must for fans of Sarah J. Maas’ Throne of Glass (2012) and its sequels. (Fantasy. 13-adult)Pub Date: Jan. 2, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-06-265365-9
Page Count: 368
Publisher: HarperTeen
Review Posted Online: Sept. 30, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2017
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
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
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
