For the lost and misunderstood.
Bullied by two of his female classmates, Scottish teen Brody Fair is saved by a handsome Spanish boy wearing blue fairy wings.
Nico Clark Calderón invites Brody—via an invitation written on an origami lily—to meet him on an Edinburgh hill on Thursday at 11:21 p.m. precisely. Charmed and eager to see Nico again, Brody sneaks out and enters Everland—a magical place where no one dies and the passage of time is ambiguous. At home, Brody, who is white, feels invisible to his overworked mother and agoraphobic father, caught between his gifted older brother and intense younger sister. In Everland, he is the drummer in a band and unafraid of being out as gay. He encounters a gang of misfits escaping their realities, including bisexual Argentinian Dani; Muslim Zahra, whose mother has multiple sclerosis; talented but stressed Japanese violinist Miyumi; and Polish Kasia, whose ex-girlfriend stopped coming to Everland. Challenges at home and changes in Everland eventually force Brody to make a difficult decision. Brody is a protagonist worth caring about; his insecurities and struggles are genuine and sympathetic, as is his temptation to run away and never look back. With empathy, Cameron (Out of the Blue, 2018) creates a cast in which every character is prone to being misjudged and has depth beyond their face value. She seamlessly weaves the two worlds together, creating a story that is deeply emotional and evocative.
For the lost and misunderstood. (Magical realism. 13-18)Pub Date: June 18, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-250-14993-0
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Roaring Brook Press
Review Posted Online: March 26, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2019
BOOK REVIEW
PERSPECTIVES
Eerie and mysterious.
Sixteen-year-old orphaned twin sisters become embroiled with a coven of witches.
When the orphanage’s night matron attacks Ophelia and Serena, white-presenting twins “born on either side of midnight,” Serena’s previously untapped magical powers emerge. She sends a bolt of lightning hurtling toward the night matron. Ultimately the twins must be saved by two witches, who reveal that their adversary was a Dark Witch in disguise. Their rescuers—Sagittarius, who has tawny brown skin, jet black hair, and “almond eyes” and can conjure portals, and Leo, a pale-skinned redhead with the power of telekinesis—are part of a coven based on star signs, with new members born each year. The Twelve are duty-bound to kill Dark Witches. After they’re whisked away from the orphanage, the sisters are introduced to other members of the coven, each named for an astrological sign, including ebony-skinned Taurus, who’s their head witch. Ophelia and Serena are pressured to join as Pisces and Aries in order to help the group assemble the strongest force possible for their inevitable battle against the Dark Twelve, who are led by the world’s highest-ranked witch. This atmospheric, pulse-pounding fantasy of sisterhood and witchcraft initially seems like a classic tale of good versus evil but quickly becomes something much more ambiguous but no less chilling. Unfortunately, it can be difficult to differentiate among the large cast due to some of their personalities being underdeveloped.
Eerie and mysterious. (Fantasy. 13-18)Pub Date: Feb. 24, 2026
ISBN: 9780063339552
Page Count: 368
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Dec. 12, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2026
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Romantic and enchanting.
After years of running, two women fight to save their kingdoms and their lives.
At the end of Beneath These Cursed Stars (2024), Jasalyn and Felicity went missing. Jasalyn was trapped by the magic of a ring connected to Mordeus that she’d believed to be her salvation. Fearing for the safety of Kendrick and her family, she used the ring’s power to leave. Meanwhile, Felicity, who’s posing as Jasalyn, is living with Misha, the king of the Wild Fae; he discovers her deception, but she’s taken by someone else, vanishing without a trace. The ring’s power puts Jasalyn to sleep for months, while Felicity lies in an Eloran dungeon in a dream state. They awaken to find they have just 11 days to ensure that Mordeus is truly dead before Jas’ 18th birthday, when the deal she made with a witch for the ring comes into effect, claiming her life. Both women struggle with feeling the weight of fate on their shoulders and loving men they aren’t sure they deserve. This duology closer explores destiny, tough decisions, and the uncertainty of the future through parallel romantic journeys—one filled with slow-burn tension and the other with fear and desire. Ryan’s writing is rich and engaging, although the story isn’t as exciting as the first novel. Each of the love stories gives readers something to cheer for even as good battles evil. Main characters largely read white, and Misha has “golden” skin.
Romantic and enchanting. (map) (Fantasy. 13-18)Pub Date: July 22, 2025
ISBN: 9780063311954
Page Count: 464
Publisher: Storytide/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: May 3, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2025
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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