An absorbing trilogy closer featuring high stakes and emotions.
Trapped in a world where monsters have subjugated humans, Joan Chang-Hunt and her friends desperately search for a way to fix the timeline in this third series entry following 2023’s Never a Hero.
When Eleanor reshaped the timeline, Joan managed to protect herself and a few others from being erased from existence. Joan, Ruth, Nick, Aaron, and Jamie emerge into a twisted version of London where, under the reign of Queen Eleanor, humans must give 50 years of their lives to monsters either in service or by shortening their lifespan to power monsters’ time-travelling ability. While chasing rumors of a human resistance group, Joan uncovers a chilling secret: Eleanor’s timeline is rapidly decaying, and once it’s sufficiently weakened, Eleanor will be able to assume control and establish it as the one true timeline. The narrative leans into the series’ overarching theme of fate versus choice by putting the characters in a position to witness versions of themselves in an alternate reality. Joan, who was previously established as having a Chinese human father and English monster mother, is again torn in loyalty and affection as she finds herself drawn to Nick, the hero with whom she shares an unbreakable bond, as well as Aaron, who has chosen to aid and protect her despite his monster family’s influence. A smoldering romance, gripping action sequences, and strategic plot twists will keep pages turning until the end.
An absorbing trilogy closer featuring high stakes and emotions. (Fantasy. 13-18)Pub Date: Aug. 19, 2025
ISBN: 9780063024748
Page Count: 416
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: June 13, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2025
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
A worthy second-chance romance.
In this follow-up to 2021’s Better Than the Movies, a 20-year-old college freshman gets a second chance at his dreams.
After the death of his father and his mother’s subsequent physical and emotional disappearance, Wes Bennett left behind all of his plans and the girl he made them with to go home and take care of Sarah, his younger sister. But now, Sarah has graduated, his mom is back on her feet, and by some miracle, Wes has an offer to pitch for UCLA’s baseball team. Liz Buxbaum, the girl he’s always loved, works for the university’s athletic department, taking photos and video of the team for social media, which means that maybe he can have a second chance at love, too. But since Wes left, Liz has made every effort to protect herself from ever feeling that broken again; there’s no room for love, because she doesn’t believe in it anymore. Or she doesn’t want to. This second-chance sports romance includes fake dates, quippy and quirky best friends, real heartache, and the sweet ache of first love. The clever dialogue keeps readers from drowning in the main characters’ emotional push-and-pull. Reading the first novel isn’t necessary for appreciating this one, although knowing the full history between Wes and Liz will only add to the ache and longing readers feel from and for them. Main characters are cued white.
A worthy second-chance romance. (Romance. 14-18)Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2024
ISBN: 9781665947138
Page Count: 368
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: July 19, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2024
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