A muddled yet colorful and romantic fantasy.
In her quest for freedom, a gifted young jewelry-maker finds herself married to a monster.
With nothing left of her mother but a sapphire ring and a warning to hide from a dangerous djinn, talented jewelsmith Saphira has spent the last 12 years learning how to go unnoticed. Unfortunately, her boss Galen’s ambitions and an ill-fated interaction with someone from her childhood land them at the Rose Palace, home of the ruthless Lady Incarnadine from whom indentured Imperial Ward Saphira escaped. When 17-year-old Saphira’s only option to avoid returning to that fate is a last-minute marriage to the mysterious, silver-skinned Serpent King—who’s as cold and distant as his dark-haired huntsman Rane is warm and charming—she takes it. With her shape-shifting gemstone golem, Grimney, by her side, Saphira, who has dark hair and eyes, is determined to achieve independence for herself, though she’s pitted against the machinations of a villain she may not even be able to recognize. The evocative fantasy world feels influenced by Indian cultural elements, including the food, environment, and folklore about Nagas. The intriguing characters and promising magic elements can’t quite overcome the packed plot that needs much explanation. This stand-alone, which contains plenty of angsty romance, will be more pleasing to casual fantasy readers than those looking for deep, robust worldbuilding or a well-defined magical system.
A muddled yet colorful and romantic fantasy. (map) (Fantasy. 14-18)Pub Date: June 24, 2025
ISBN: 9780063386136
Page Count: 352
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: April 19, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2025
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A light and entertaining plot-driven romance.
A Connecticut girl and her best friend devise a series of plans in order to achieve their goals: following a dream and winning back an ex.
Eighteen-year-old Audrey Barbour has a Master Plan: attend Blue Ridge Glass School in North Carolina and someday turn her Etsy shop, Golightly Glass, into a thriving business. But her uber-wealthy parents insist that she instead follow in their footsteps and go to business school. So Audrey decides to go find the tuition money she needs with help from her best friend, Henry Chen. Henry needs a favor, too: He hopes that fake dating Audrey will help him win back his ex-girlfriend, and he points out to a reluctant Audrey that this could make her crush, Griffin, notice her. While Audrey’s parents vacation in France for three weeks, the pair rent out the Barbour mansion on the Long Island Sound. Soon romantic chemistry grows alongside their business partnership. Despite the pair’s great preparation and an abundance of secondary characters with connections and talents to help pull off their increasingly ambitious ideas, plans go awry, leaving Audrey and Henry scrambling and second-guessing their choices. The pacing is even, but the characters often take a back seat to the whirlwind of activity that drives the plot, with the emphasis falling on each person’s practical skills and their role in keeping the action moving over their emotional bonds. Audrey is white, and Henry’s surname cues him as Chinese American.
A light and entertaining plot-driven romance. (Romance. 14-18)Pub Date: March 31, 2026
ISBN: 9780593904794
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Delacorte Romance
Review Posted Online: Dec. 12, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2026
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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
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