A delight for both existing fans and newcomers.
Sally must save her town from a sleeping curse before Halloween comes.
Sally is at last married to Pumpkin King Jack Skellington. Nothing could be more perfect as they depart for a one-day honeymoon to Valentine’s Town. But after a chance meeting with elegant Ruby Valentino, Queen of Valentine’s Town, Sally begins having doubts about her newfound status as Pumpkin Queen. These doubts only grow upon their return to Halloween Town, as the residents begin pressuring Sally into fulfilling their ideas of a good queen. With Halloween only two weeks away and Jack focused on making the holiday a success, Sally despairs. Upset, she flees to the grove of portal trees, where she is drawn to one with a mysterious hidden door. Loyal ghost dog Zero stops her from passing through it, but on returning home, Sally discovers she may have let a terrible monster out of its prison. With the Sandman on the loose, the citizens of Halloween Town fall under his sleeping spell, and it’s up to Sally to save the day. Sally’s adventure gives some much-needed expansion to the other holiday worlds and her backstory with Dr. Finkelstein. The perspective through which Sally sees the world keeps the narrative grounded in Halloween Town even while she explores other areas. While some parts of the ending are unsatisfactory, witnessing Sally uncover her true self and come into her own takes readers on a satisfying journey.
A delight for both existing fans and newcomers. (Fantasy. 12-18)Pub Date: Aug. 2, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-368-06960-1
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Disney Press
Review Posted Online: March 28, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2022
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
An unwieldy but emotionally intense fantasy.
In the Riew siblings’ debut, inspired by their Korean grandparents’ experiences during Japan’s early-20th-century colonization of Korea, a hunt is on for the last surviving tiger.
In the Tiger Colonies, this fantasy world’s version of occupied Korea, tigers have been nearly wiped out by the Dragon Empire. These oppressive rulers believe that tiger ki, or powers, strengthen the Tiger people, and therefore, the animals must be exterminated. Lee Seung, who’s from a poor Tiger family, works for the wealthy Chois, a Tiger family who collaborate with the Dragons. Choi Eunji might live in material comfort, but her home feels like “a cage” thanks to her parents’ high expectations and control of her every move. She offers to tutor Seung for the Adachi Training Academy’s entrance exam; graduates attain elite, powerful positions. In return he’ll help Eunji experience life outside her cloistered manor. Despite their class differences, both teens long for freedom, but Seung fails the exam, and their paths diverge. They reunite during a frantic search for the last tiger—but are their motivations aligned? Some plot developments feel contrived, and the introduction of real historical elements at times feels deliberately educational rather than naturally emerging from the story. Nevertheless, the story vividly highlights the plight of Koreans during a traumatic era.
An unwieldy but emotionally intense fantasy. (authors’ note, diary excerpts) (Fantasy. 12-18)Pub Date: July 29, 2025
ISBN: 9798217002047
Page Count: 416
Publisher: Kokila
Review Posted Online: May 3, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2025
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