A deeper exploration of a compelling fantasy world.
Mira learns more about her existence within a complicated web of political intrigue in this sequel to 2024’s Compass and Blade.
Mira Boscawen is reeling from a painful betrayal and learning about her siren lineage when the rulers known as the watch set her village on the island of Rosevear on fire and demand that she be delivered to them. The enigmatic and infuriating Lord Elijah Tresillian arrives, ready to collect on the bargain that he and Mira previously made. After helping the village, the pair travel to Ennor, where they plan to deal with Capt. Renshaw and the watch, who have formed an alliance to take control of the Fortunate Isles. Mira and Elijah continue to grapple with their identities and the powers they don’t understand, all the while growing closer to one another. Meanwhile, Brielle, a monster hunter who tracks creatures and extracts their blood for spells, is assigned by her coven to hunt Mira. As Brielle learns more about Mira, she starts to question what’s being asked of her, especially when her own and Mira’s fates ultimately collide. Mira, at great cost, gains insight into herself while she tries to save Rosevear. Brielle’s perspective adds a much-needed view into a messy political system, and Mira’s and Elijah’s motives are explored more fully in this gratifying sequel, which satisfyingly addresses underdeveloped areas of the plot and characterization. Main characters are cued white.
A deeper exploration of a compelling fantasy world. (map) (Fantasy. 14-18)Pub Date: March 4, 2025
ISBN: 9781335015310
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Quill Tree Books/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Feb. 1, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2025
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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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