A fun and funny series starter.
An up-and-coming idol makes a deal with the Grim Reaper for a second chance at life.
Eighteen-year-old Sophie Lim, who presents East Asian, has devoted her life to training for pop stardom. But a fall down a flight of stairs brings her face-to-face with Eli, the Grim Reaper—a pale, slender young man with gray hair, who also happens to be a huge fan of her music. To dodge death, Sophie bargains with Eli: The next time she dies, she’ll become his bride, forever in limbo, reaping souls. After Sophie miraculously awakens from her coma (with no memories of the deal), Grace, who’s her aunt and manager, puts her on a yearlong hiatus from performing. But leading a normal life as a college student is hard when you’re famous—not to mention that she seems unusually prone to near-death experiences. Karim packs a lot into this volume, which compiles episodes 1-22 of the popular WEBTOON series: budding romance, social conflict, family issues, a motley crew of friends, a mystery, and more. The quick pace fits with the story’s energy, and fans of shōjo manga and K-drama rom-coms will enjoy the humor and heart. Karim’s clean and expressive illustrations energetically convey the hijinks, particularly the comedy in Sophie’s attempts to adjust to college life. The volume ends abruptly, with a cliffhanger reveal that will leave readers in suspense.
A fun and funny series starter. (Graphic romance. 13-18)Pub Date: Sept. 2, 2025
ISBN: 9781998341467
Page Count: 288
Publisher: WEBTOON Unscrolled
Review Posted Online: July 3, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2025
A descriptive and atmospheric paranormal social thriller that could be a bit tighter.
After a Nigerian British girl goes off to an exclusive boarding school that seems to prey on less-privileged students, she discovers there might be some truth behind an urban legend.
Ife Adebola joins the Urban Achievers scholarship program at pricey, high-pressure Nithercott School, arriving shortly after a student called Leon mysteriously disappeared. Gossip says he’s a victim of the glowing-eyed Changing Man who targets the lonely, leaving them changed. Ife doesn’t believe in the myth, but amid the stresses of Nithercott’s competitive, privileged, majority-white environment, where she is constantly reminded of her state school background, she does miss her friends and family. When Malika, a fellow Black scholarship student, disappears and then returns, acting strangely devoid of personality, Ife worries the Changing Man is real—and that she’s next. Ife joins forces with classmate Bijal and Benny, Leon’s younger brother, to uncover the truth about who the Changing Man is and what he wants. Culminating in a detailed, gory, and extended climactic battle, this verbose thriller tempts readers with a nefarious mystery involving racial and class-based violence but never quite lives up to its potential and peters out thematically by its explosive finale. However, this debut offers highly visually evocative and eerie descriptions of characters and events and will appeal to fans of creature horror, social commentary, and dark academia.
A descriptive and atmospheric paranormal social thriller that could be a bit tighter. (Thriller. 14-18)Pub Date: Sept. 26, 2023
ISBN: 9781250868138
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Review Posted Online: June 8, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2023
BOOK REVIEW
This high-suspense thriller hits all the marks with its slow reveal and cross-genre appeal.
Creepy supernatural executioners roam the woods at night in Dennard’s latest.
On the cusp of the year 2000, Freddie Gellar, a high school senior and self-proclaimed Answer Finder, untangles a plot worthy of a professional detective. After she reports hearing screaming in the woods and accidentally gets students from rival school Fortin Prep arrested, Freddie becomes a member of the Berm High Prank Squad. Suddenly, popular classmates—like the attractive Kyle Friedman and class president Laina Steward—notice her. With her best friend, Divya Srivastava, by her side, Freddie navigates teen life and her unexpected physical attraction to Theo Porter, who’s Fortin’s prank master. Meanwhile, grisly goings-on ensue as murdered bodies with deep ties to village lore appear in the woods. Freddie, a fan of The X-Files, channels her inner Scully and Mulder to solve the mystery—but as she seeks answers, she finds more than she bargained for. Allusions to the ’90s, including Nokia phones and boy bands, realistically frame the gory content within the setting. Sensual scenes add romantic appeal, and Freddie’s narrative voice echoes the emotionally intense refrains of adolescence as she navigates coming-of-age themes. Freddie and Theo are cued white, and the supporting cast contains broad ethnic diversity as well as queer representation.
This high-suspense thriller hits all the marks with its slow reveal and cross-genre appeal. (map) (Supernatural thriller. 14-18)Pub Date: Aug. 26, 2025
ISBN: 9781250334664
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Tor Teen
Review Posted Online: June 13, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2025
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