Steamy, suspenseful, and sensuous.
In an extravagantly gothic follow-up to House of Salt and Sorrows (2019), Verity, 17, is snared in both a romantic dilemma and a hideous research project.
Prompted by a commission to paint the portrait of 19-year-old Alexander, scion of the refined ducal house of Bloem, Verity defiantly escapes the cloistered life forced on her by overprotective big sister Camille—only to find herself caught up in a web of secrets and lies complicated by the tried-and-true conflict of having to choose between kind, gentle, Alexander, who uses a wheelchair, and a dangerous but excitingly hot rival for her interest. Along with providing a lavishly decorated country house stocked with lush floral gardens, secret passages and stairways, and a hidden library of erotica for a setting, Craig lavishes her doorstopper with lurid elements, including references to a curse, madness, and feelings of dread; mysterious screams in the night; and encounters with ghostly apparitions. More disturbing still are eventual revelations that Alexander’s seemingly rational botanist father’s research hasn’t entirely been confined to the greenhouse. Overall, the tale well serves both readers who thrill to bloody, onstage murders and visions of body parts in jars as well as those left breathless by watching relationships heat up. Alexander’s mother has brown skin, and his father is White; Verity reads White.
Steamy, suspenseful, and sensuous. (Gothic fantasy. 14-18)Pub Date: July 25, 2023
ISBN: 9780593482544
Page Count: 544
Publisher: Delacorte
Review Posted Online: April 11, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2023
A thrilling, beautifully written page-turner.
A young woman pursues a dangerous quest in late-1800s Egypt in this sequel to What the River Knows (2023).
After Inez Olivera was nearly murdered while assisting with her uncle’s archaeological expedition in Egypt, Tío Ricardo is eager to ship her home to safety in Argentina. But Inez burns with the need to stay and make sure that those who committed crimes against her family are held responsible. Unfortunately, the law precludes Inez, as a young unmarried woman, from accessing her inheritance (needed to fund her quest for justice) without her guardian uncle’s permission. Whitford Hayes, a former British soldier and her tío’s aide-de-camp, proposes marriage, which could solve her problems. But can Inez trust the secretive Whit? More danger and intrigue lurk at every turn in this exciting duology closer, which fully addresses the first entry’s jaw-dropping cliffhanger. The well-paced plot encompasses many fresh, new adventures and betrayals in this reimagined historical setting in which ancient magic abounds and not everyone or everything is what it seems. Even more captivating, however, is the complicated, nuanced love story between Whit and Inez. Their chemistry sizzles, but their relationship is achingly layered with both profound loyalty and deep deception. As their journey unearths new enemies and priceless archaeological finds, the duo must try to trust each other enough to survive.
A thrilling, beautifully written page-turner. (cast of characters, map, timeline) (Historical fantasy. 14-18)Pub Date: Nov. 5, 2024
ISBN: 9781250822994
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Wednesday Books
Review Posted Online: Aug. 17, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2024
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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