Renée’s story is romantic, suspenseful and far from over. A solid read, this one will leave readers wanting more.
Renée Winters knows about the Undead: Her soul mate, Dante, has been Undead for years.
But having been saved by Dante at the end of the series opener (Dead Beautiful, 2010), Renée is left to wonder whether she too is now one of the Undead. Renée is sent to Montreal to protect her after a series of attacks at Gottfried Academy. At St. Clément, the curriculum is designed to train students as Monitors, who police the Undead and prevent them from murdering humans. Knowing that Dante only has five more years of animation before he will need to either take a life or die a second time, Renée searches the school’s library and mystical texts for a solution. Following clues left by the school’s founders, she’s trailed by Noah, a fellow Monitor who would like to be more than just a friend. But for Renée, this isn’t a romantic lark or a quick trip into the history of a charming city; it’s a race against time. Her body is changing, the effect of Dante’s life-saving kiss. And both are pursued by The Brotherhood, an order of Undead dedicated to extending their own existence at all costs. Renée's narration takes readers through the twisting streets of Montreal, effectively drawing them into her distress over Dante, boarding-school psychodrama and the world of the Undead.
Renée’s story is romantic, suspenseful and far from over. A solid read, this one will leave readers wanting more. (Paranormal romance. 13 & up)Pub Date: Jan. 24, 2012
ISBN: 978-1-4231-1957-9
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Hyperion
Review Posted Online: Nov. 8, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2011
A compelling romance inhabited by complex and appealing characters.
When star hockey player Alec Barczewski’s estranged childhood friend, Dani Collins, moves to town, they end up in a mutually beneficial fake-dating relationship that reignites old feelings.
Following her parents’ divorce, Dani and her mom move in with Dani’s hockey legend grandfather in Southview, Minnesota, where she spent a month every summer as a child and where her friendship with Alec grew. Between visits, the two were pen pals, but they eventually fell out of touch. Despite some tensions over their loss of friendship, the high school seniors reconnect. Desperate to get off Harvard’s waitlist, Dani needs another extracurricular activity, while Alec—whose reputation took a hit when a photo of him holding a bong appeared on social media—is eager to improve his tarnished image for NHL scouts. The pair strike a deal: They’ll fake date, making Alec look like a stable guy whose academically gifted girlfriend is related to hockey royalty, and in exchange, he’ll get Dani a team manager position that will catch the eye of Harvard’s admissions officers. Eventually, complicated feelings about their past, stressful family relationships, and their brewing romance boil over. Romance fans will love the deliciously tension-filled scenes between Alec and Dani, who are believable friends with heavy demands weighing on them. They feel like real teenagers, and readers will enjoy rooting for them as the well-paced story unfolds. Main characters present white.
A compelling romance inhabited by complex and appealing characters. (Romance. 14-18)Pub Date: Sept. 30, 2025
ISBN: 9781665921268
Page Count: 448
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Aug. 2, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2025
SEEN & HEARD
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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