Vivid characters and worldbuilding will leave readers eager for the sequel.
A werewolf and a warlock team up to solve a supernatural murder in this trilogy opener by debut author Jordan.
When Sage goes to check on Lucy, her fellow werewolf friend, she finds dangerous, enigmatic warlock Oren in Lucy’s Manchester, England, apartment. He’s investigating her brutal murder to determine if it’s an Upside, or human, crime, or a Downside, or supernatural, one that would fall in his jurisdiction. Though Oren feels something about the crime scene is off, it’s Sage who discovers the supernatural link. Roderick, Oren’s captain in the Arcānum (paranormal police), knows Sage—she’s applied many times, but the Arcānum only hires warlocks. Still, he gives her Lucy’s case as a trial, forcing solitary Oren to take her on as a temporary partner. The slow-burn first third of the book introduces the secret supernatural society while the investigation unfolds and the characters’ interactions reveal Sage’s survivor’s guilt–induced motivations and peel back Oren’s prickly layers. The immersive worldbuilding mitigates the slow initial pace and Oren’s not-so-pleasant personality until the heroes begin to thaw toward each other in a rewarding development. Once the murder mystery plot picks up steam and complexity, the narrative tension builds until the climax, which is a mixed bag—the solution to the mystery is nifty but comes via a villain’s monologue and relies on a foundation of side characters’ work rather than the protagonists’ efforts. Most characters present white.
Vivid characters and worldbuilding will leave readers eager for the sequel. (Paranormal thriller. 14-18)Pub Date: March 4, 2025
ISBN: 9781546136613
Page Count: 352
Publisher: Chicken House/Scholastic
Review Posted Online: Jan. 18, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2025
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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