Returning fans will enjoy this solid sequel, which continues the high-tech intrigue.
Hwa Young pilots her lancer for the rebel clanners while figuring out where her loyalties should lie in this follow-up to 2024’s Moonstorm.
Now regarded as traitors to the Empire of New Joseon, Hwa Young and her fellow pilots are helping the rebel clanners secure their freedom. Their treasonous act—destroying the Empire’s bomb that would have created a “ravenous black hole”—has left them disoriented and grieving the loss of one of their own. Hwa Young is desperate to reconnect with Commander Aera, her clone-mother, and convince her to allow a mission to rescue her best friend, Geum—zie is being held prisoner on the Imperial flagship for helping Hwa Young. But the closer she gets to repairing her relationship with Mother Aera, the more Hwa Young loses her identity. As time passes, Hwa Young realizes the clanners aren’t much different from the ruthless Empire: Nothing in this political war over space and technology is as it seems. Amid shifting loyalties and easy betrayals, Hwa Young must figure out whom she can trust even as she struggles with her identity and sense of belonging. While the scheming and fight scenes keep things interesting, the detailed worldbuilding slows the story down at times. The characters in this Korean-inspired fantasy world are diverse in gender and sexuality and include nonbinary and transgender cast members.
Returning fans will enjoy this solid sequel, which continues the high-tech intrigue. (map, character guide) (Science fiction. 12-18)Pub Date: Aug. 12, 2025
ISBN: 9780593488379
Page Count: 368
Publisher: Delacorte
Review Posted Online: May 30, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2025
In addition to the supernatural elements, Brosgol interweaves some savvy insights about the illusion of perfection and...
A deliciously creepy page-turning gem from first-time writer and illustrator Brosgol finds brooding teenager Anya trying to escape the past—both her own and the ghost haunting her.
Anya feels out of place at her preppy private school; embarrassed by her Russian heritage, she has worked hard to lose her accent and to look more like everyone else. After a particularly frustrating morning at the bus stop, Anya storms off, only to accidentally fall down a well. Down in the dark hole, she meets Emily, a ghost who claims to be a murder victim trapped down in the dank abyss for 90 years. With Emily’s help, Anya manages to escape, though once free, she learns that Emily has traveled out with her. At first, Emily seems like the perfect friend; however, once her motives become clear, Anya learns that “perfect” may only be an illusion. A moodily atmospheric spectrum of grays washes over the clean, tidy panels, setting a distinct stage before the first words appear. Brosgol’s tight storytelling invokes the chilling feeling of Neil Gaiman’s Coraline (2002), though for a decidedly older set.
In addition to the supernatural elements, Brosgol interweaves some savvy insights about the illusion of perfection and outward appearance. (Graphic supernatural fiction. 12 & up)Pub Date: June 7, 2011
ISBN: 978-1-59643-552-0
Page Count: 224
Publisher: First Second
Review Posted Online: April 18, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2011
An entertaining and atmospheric, though sometimes clumsy, exploration of the true cost of beauty.
In this retelling of a classic, a drama student’s obsession with beauty leads her down a dark—and possibly deadly—path.
Eighteen-year-old Penny Paxton is beginning her first year at Dorian Drama Academy in Edinburgh, Scotland, where she hopes to follow in her starlet mother’s footsteps—and earn the love that her mother has never seemed to offer. At Dorian, Penny is mentored by Royal Shakespeare Company legend Orlagh Camran, who makes her the compelling offer of a portrait by the Masked Painter, a mysterious artist with the ability to gift his subjects everlasting youth and beauty. But shortly after Penny’s portrait is complete, several of the Masked Painter’s subjects are found murdered. Fearing that she’s made a terrible mistake and may become the next victim, Penny, who’s gay, begins to investigate the murders with the help of an unlikely ally. As she attempts to uncover the truth surrounding the Masked Painter and the murders, she’s forced to reckon with her own toxic obsession with beauty. This chilling, atmospheric novel, inspired by The Picture of Dorian Gray, is entertaining and full of twists, though some of the reveals feel contrived and some questions are left unanswered. The plot unravels at a leisurely pace but eventually builds to an action-packed (if somewhat convoluted) conclusion. Most characters are cued white.
An entertaining and atmospheric, though sometimes clumsy, exploration of the true cost of beauty. (content note, author’s note, bonus scene) (Fantasy thriller. 14-18)Pub Date: May 26, 2026
ISBN: 9781250346797
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Wednesday Books
Review Posted Online: March 9, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2026
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