May entice fans of royal dramas but struggles with uneven execution.
In a world where only servants or Americans get to marry for love, three European noblewomen try to control their destinies.
Queen Victoria generally decides who weds whom among her large family—and she wants stunning beauty Alix of Hesse to marry her grandson and heir to the throne Eddy, aka Prince Albert Victor Christian Edward. Alix, however, has fallen for Nicholas, the eldest son of the Russian tsar. Meanwhile, the exiled French princess Hélène d’Orléans has a chance encounter with Eddy during which sparks fly. For her part, Her Serene Highness May of Teck struggles with being poorer and lower in status than her cousins; she’s also desperate to escape her cruel father and hopes to catch Eddy’s eye. Each young woman battles her confines in order to achieve happiness: Hélène owns her desires, but they may be held against her; Alix, though beloved by Queen Victoria, isn’t welcomed by the Russian court; and May leans into manipulative situations. The book ends on a cliffhanger, so readers will need to wait for the next entry to find out how these problems are resolved. The characterization builds over the course of the story, but the timelines can be confusing, and even though the events are loosely based on the lives of real people and the social stakes are clearly defined, the setting doesn’t feel fully immersive. Characters read white.
May entice fans of royal dramas but struggles with uneven execution. (author’s note) (Historical fiction. 13-18)Pub Date: Nov. 12, 2024
ISBN: 9780593710708
Page Count: 368
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: Aug. 30, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 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
A lackluster and sometimes disturbing mishmash of overused tropes.
The Plague has left a population divided between Elites and Ordinaries—those who have powers and those who don’t; now, an Ordinary teen fights for her life.
Paedyn Gray witnessed the king kill her father five years ago, and she’s been thieving and sleeping rough ever since, all while faking Psychic abilities. When she inadvertently saves the life of Prince Kai, she becomes embroiled in the Purging Trials, a competition to commemorate the sickness that killed most of the kingdom’s Ordinaries. Kai’s duties as the future Enforcer include eradicating any remaining Ordinaries, and these Trials are his chance to prove that he’s internalized his brutal training. But Kai can’t help but find Pae’s blue eyes, silver hair, and unabashed attitude enchanting. She likewise struggles to resist his stormy gray eyes, dark hair, and rakish behavior, even as they’re pitted against each other in the Trials and by the king himself. Scenes and concepts that are strongly reminiscent of the Hunger Games fall flat: They aren’t bolstered by the original’s heart or worldbuilding logic that would have justified a few extreme story elements. Illogical leaps and inconsistent characterizations abound, with lighthearted romantic interludes juxtaposed against genocide, child abuse, and sadism. These elements, which are not sufficiently addressed, combined with the use of ableist language, cannot be erased by any amount of romantic banter. Main characters are cued white; the supporting cast has some brown-skinned characters.
A lackluster and sometimes disturbing mishmash of overused tropes. (map) (Fantasy. 14-18)Pub Date: Nov. 7, 2023
ISBN: 9798987380406
Page Count: 538
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Sept. 9, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2023
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