A plot-poor but melodrama-rich series closer.
Twins try to help the empire strike back when a dark force takes hold.
Reeling from the massacre in their hometown and hopelessly entangled in imperial politics (Empire of Night, 2015, etc.), Moria and Ashyn attempt to reunite, find the kidnapped children, and rescue the empire. As a Keeper and a Seeker respectively, the teens can hear and soothe unquiet spirits—and are doomed to live without husbands or, likely, children—but they must adapt their powers to deal with legendary beasts unleashed by disgraced ex-military leader and sorcerer Alvar Kitsune. Political subplots, monster attacks, and tedious reconfigurations of traveling companions (un)necessarily prolong the plot until the final battle. Familial, caste, and romantic relationships also complicate matters, separating Ashyn and Moria and partnering them with exiled criminal Ronan, dishonored Gavril Kitsune, bastard prince Tyrus, and bondbeasts Daigo and Tova, often while in captivity. As the twins share narrative duties—Moria’s stiff formality and sexual frankness setting her apart from her relatively sedate sister—readers receive both perspectives as well as clunky exposition from other characters concerning the feudal fantasy-Japanese world’s magic, religion, and racial tensions. Armstrong indulges in gorier and steamier scenes than in previous installments but never fully succeeds in making the twins into players instead of pawns.
A plot-poor but melodrama-rich series closer. (Fantasy. 14-18)Pub Date: April 5, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-06-207130-9
Page Count: 448
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Jan. 8, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2016
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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