Action-packed yet intimate; sets the stage for a truly epic next installment.
Following a royal kidnapping and amid widespread fear of magic, the tenuous alliance between Emberfall and Syhl Shallow is tested by violent attacks on both sides of the border.
In this sequel to 2022’s Forging Silver Into Stars, the three narrators are separated, and the stakes are even higher. Callyn, now a lady-in-waiting at the Crystal Palace, gradually embraces her own newly discovered abilities in secret. She reluctantly becomes the queen’s liaison to the arrogant Lord Alek, her one-time lover whose loyalty to the queen is matched only by his hatred of magic. Jax, a skilled archer and blacksmith, hoped his new job at Ironrose Castle would deepen his discreet romance with King’s Courier Tycho, but he finds himself alone and dependent on the few Emberish speakers after Tycho’s duties force his return to Syhl Shallow. Tycho, whose magic has been flaring due to past traumas, struggles to regulate his emotions—and his power—under the guidance of the scraver Nakiis, a magical winged being whose harrowing past helps explain why scravers are leaving the ice forests of Iishellasa to attack humans. Kemmerer thoughtfully structures each protagonist’s narrative arc, balancing plot-driving action with the exploration of resonant questions of loyalty, trust, and forgiveness that deftly model the often-uncomfortable process of reevaluating core beliefs when presented with new perspectives. Main characters read white; Jax walks with crutches before he’s fitted for a prosthetic foot.
Action-packed yet intimate; sets the stage for a truly epic next installment. (maps, character list) (Fantasy. 14-18)Pub Date: Jan. 28, 2025
ISBN: 9781547610105
Page Count: 496
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Review Posted Online: Oct. 11, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 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 heavy read about the harsh realities of tragedy and their effects on those left behind.
In this companion novel to 2013’s If He Had Been With Me, three characters tell their sides of the story.
Finn’s narrative starts three days before his death. He explores the progress of his unrequited love for best friend Autumn up until the day he finally expresses his feelings. Finn’s story ends with his tragic death, which leaves his close friends devastated, unmoored, and uncertain how to go on. Jack’s section follows, offering a heartbreaking look at what it’s like to live with grief. Jack works to overcome the anger he feels toward Sylvie, the girlfriend Finn was breaking up with when he died, and Autumn, the girl he was preparing to build his life around (but whom Jack believed wasn’t good enough for Finn). But when Jack sees how Autumn’s grief matches his own, it changes their understanding of one another. Autumn’s chapters trace her life without Finn as readers follow her struggles with mental health and balancing love and loss. Those who have read the earlier book will better connect with and feel for these characters, particularly since they’ll have a more well-rounded impression of Finn. The pain and anger is well written, and the novel highlights the most troublesome aspects of young adulthood: overconfidence sprinkled with heavy insecurities, fear-fueled decisions, bad communication, and brash judgments. Characters are cued white.
A heavy read about the harsh realities of tragedy and their effects on those left behind. (author’s note, content warning) (Fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: Feb. 6, 2024
ISBN: 9781728276229
Page Count: 416
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Review Posted Online: Jan. 5, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
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