Fans will appreciate this fulfilling sequel that centers on a familiar premise.
As the new queen of England, Ivy attempts to repair her life, which has been torn apart by her evil husband.
This follow-up to The Rose Bargain (2025) begins about four months after 18-year-old Ivy Benton’s wedding to Bram. Upon gaining power from their union, he arrested his mother, Queen Mor, and seized control of both the human world and the faeries’ Otherworld. Ivy appears to placate her devious husband while secretly planning to locate and rescue her sister, Lydia, and Prince Emmett De Vere, both of whom she believes to be somewhere in the Otherworld. Soon, her plans take her there, and she’s pitted against Lydia in another competition for King Bram’s hand, this time for the title of queen of the Otherworld, while Emmett observes from the sidelines. While Ivy wonders what’s happened to the sister she no longer recognizes and the boy she first met in a carriage in London, she’ll need to engage in deceptive political maneuvering to survive. Danger lurks both inside and outside the castle walls, and Ivy must draw upon inner strength to save Emmett, Lydia, and herself. The revelation of carefully held secrets creates unexpected and enjoyable plot twists. Smith’s vivid worldbuilding introduces a dreamy faerie kingdom where much is concealed. Although the competition to become queen feels repetitive, this satisfying duology closer answers questions left open by the cliffhanger ending of the first book. Central characters present white.
Fans will appreciate this fulfilling sequel that centers on a familiar premise. (Fantasy. 14-adult)Pub Date: April 14, 2026
ISBN: 9780063372573
Page Count: 368
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: today
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2026
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 heavy read about the harsh realities of tragedy and their effects on those left behind.
In this companion novel to 2013’s If He Had Been With Me, three characters tell their sides of the story.
Finn’s narrative starts three days before his death. He explores the progress of his unrequited love for best friend Autumn up until the day he finally expresses his feelings. Finn’s story ends with his tragic death, which leaves his close friends devastated, unmoored, and uncertain how to go on. Jack’s section follows, offering a heartbreaking look at what it’s like to live with grief. Jack works to overcome the anger he feels toward Sylvie, the girlfriend Finn was breaking up with when he died, and Autumn, the girl he was preparing to build his life around (but whom Jack believed wasn’t good enough for Finn). But when Jack sees how Autumn’s grief matches his own, it changes their understanding of one another. Autumn’s chapters trace her life without Finn as readers follow her struggles with mental health and balancing love and loss. Those who have read the earlier book will better connect with and feel for these characters, particularly since they’ll have a more well-rounded impression of Finn. The pain and anger is well written, and the novel highlights the most troublesome aspects of young adulthood: overconfidence sprinkled with heavy insecurities, fear-fueled decisions, bad communication, and brash judgments. Characters are cued white.
A heavy read about the harsh realities of tragedy and their effects on those left behind. (author’s note, content warning) (Fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: Feb. 6, 2024
ISBN: 9781728276229
Page Count: 416
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Review Posted Online: Jan. 5, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
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