A supernatural mystery with a well-developed protagonist, hit-or-miss humor, and a swoon-worthy love interest.
In this contemporary fantasy series starter, Kelly offers a humorous portrait of a lonely witch (or “wicche”) facing pressures from her family, romantic tension with a werewolf, and unsettling visions.
Twenty-eight-year-old Arwyn Cassandra Corey, the owner of an art gallery/tea bar in Monterey, California, called The Sea Wicche, is a wicche herself. Her relationship with her family is fraught: Her mother, Sybil Corey, and grandmother, Gran, want her to join the Corey Council, a governing triad that “oversaw all disputes, heard pleas for help, and granted magical aid” to family members. But Arwyn’s goal is simpler: to spend time with creatures she considers her friends, including a starfish she calls Charlie and Wilbur, a seal who plays fetch. She’s always experienced upsetting visions—a normal part of being a wicche—but lately, their intensity has increased. She meets Declan Quinn, a steadfast and dreamy werewolf who’s affectionate toward her, but she’s sworn off sex and dating; wicches have sensory issues, and “dating sucked when touch meant picking up every stray thought and emotion.” Her painful psychic visions could help the Corey Council, but they take a serious toll on Arwyn’s health and well-being. Sybil’s and Gran’s repeated attempts to get Arwyn to join it make her believe that, although they love her, they “love what I can do more.” Although the protagonist narrator’s often humorous tone sets a light mood for the story, Kelly sets serious stakes; Arwyn sees a vision of a woman’s death early on, who turns out to be her 21-year-old cousin, Pearl. This launches a mystery investigation involving another Quinn werewolf, that werewolf’s angry vampire husband, several other supernatural beings, and Corey wicches. The book’s humor is quick-witted and punchy, although readers may find some jokes a bit corny, as when Arwyn scolds her mother about werewolf etiquette: “Don’t use the word fetch. It’s rude. He’s not a dog.” Overall, Arwyn’s conversational voice creates the charming effect of hearing a story from an eccentric—and unlucky—friend.
A supernatural mystery with a well-developed protagonist, hit-or-miss humor, and a swoon-worthy love interest.Pub Date: May 2, 2023
ISBN: 9781641972345
Page Count: 339
Publisher: NYLA
Review Posted Online: April 21, 2023
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
A charming love story that absolutely radiates warmth.
A single mom winds up fake dating an incredibly wealthy man in her hometown.
Dolly Brick is back in her hometown of Whitfield, Rhode Island, for the summer to help her dad and disabled brother manage their house and family business. As a 39-year-old single mother with multiple jobs—which now include working at the Brick Fish House—Dolly is always busy. When her mom left their family years ago, Dolly took over caring for her siblings and father and never really stopped. When she runs into Stewart Whitfield after making a shrimp delivery to his family’s mansion, she doesn’t think they could be more different. She’s had to figure out how to do everything by herself, and he can’t even change a tire. That’s why Stewart’s proposal that she pretend to be his girlfriend feels so unbelievable—but it comes with a hefty check that she desperately needs for home repairs. So she becomes the fake girlfriend of Stewart Whitfield (as in, the Whitfields her town is named after; his real fiancée just dumped him and it’s a bad time for him to be single) and experiences what it’s like to walk into fancy buildings through the front door instead of the service entrance. More than the boats and helicopter and expensive dinners, though, Dolly is impressed by what a kind man Stewart is—and how it feels to let someone else take care of her for a change. Soon, their relationship starts to feel more real than fake. Monaghan creates an impossibly winning story with a charming, lovable heroine. Dolly is capable, hardworking, and will do anything for the people she loves. She and Stewart both possess real flaws, and while their relationship begins with one of the most beloved rom-com tropes, their challenges feel like realistic adult obstacles rather than easily solved miscommunications. It’s also refreshing that, even though Dolly must learn to allow other people to help her, she never views her caretaking responsibilities as burdens. She deeply loves her family, and that love carries through the entire story.
A charming love story that absolutely radiates warmth.Pub Date: May 26, 2026
ISBN: 9780593853979
Page Count: 368
Publisher: Putnam
Review Posted Online: Jan. 19, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2026
SEEN & HEARD
PERSPECTIVES
Read this for the action-packed plot, not character development or worldbuilding.
On the orders of her mother, a woman goes to dragon-riding school.
Even though her mother is a general in Navarre’s army, 20-year-old Violet Sorrengail was raised by her father to follow his path as a scribe. After his death, though, Violet's mother shocks her by forcing her to enter the elite and deadly dragon rider academy at Basgiath War College. Most students die at the War College: during training sessions, at the hands of their classmates, or by the very dragons they hope to one day be paired with. From Day One, Violet is targeted by her classmates, some because they hate her mother, others because they think she’s too physically frail to succeed. She must survive a daily gauntlet of physical challenges and the deadly attacks of classmates, which she does with the help of secret knowledge handed down by her two older siblings, who'd been students there before her. Violet is at the mercy of the plot rather than being in charge of it, hurtling through one obstacle after another. As a result, the story is action-packed and fast-paced, but Violet is a strange mix of pure competence and total passivity, always managing to come out on the winning side. The book is categorized as romantasy, with Violet pulled between the comforting love she feels from her childhood best friend, Dain Aetos, and the incendiary attraction she feels for family enemy Xaden Riorson. However, the way Dain constantly undermines Violet's abilities and his lack of character development make this an unconvincing storyline. The plots and subplots aren’t well-integrated, with the first half purely focused on Violet’s training, followed by a brief detour for romance, and then a final focus on outside threats.
Read this for the action-packed plot, not character development or worldbuilding.Pub Date: May 2, 2023
ISBN: 9781649374042
Page Count: 528
Publisher: Red Tower
Review Posted Online: Jan. 12, 2024
SEEN & HEARD
BOOK TO SCREEN
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