Come for the torrid romance, stay for the dramatic intrigue and fierce feminism.
Magic, passion, and secrets intertwine in the second installment of a historical fantasy trilogy based upon the legends of Tristan and Isolde.
The kingdom of Kernyv may no longer be an enemy, but Branwen remains torn between love and hate. She will scheme, lie, and even kill to conceal the liaison between her once-beloved Tristan and Eseult, her cousin and best friend, all to preserve the peace contingent on Eseult’s marriage to King Marc. But Kernyv faces greater threats than one treasonous affair…including Branwen’s increasingly ungovernable powers. Branwen remains an unlikable but magnificently charismatic protagonist; this title wisely focuses more on interesting new characters, such as kind, decent Marc and roguish Ruan—Branwen’s partner in bickering and bed—than on her angst-ridden triangle with self-flagellating Tristan and petulant Eseult. Perez (Sweet Black Waves, 2018) brings extensive scholarship to building a richly detailed world, varied in language, ethnicity, religion, and sexual orientation. Personal, political, and economic rivalries lead to graphic violence and gruesome death; even as the patriarchy demands that peace be “made with women’s bodies,” the relentless tension finally explodes in devastating betrayals and bloody carnage. As Branwen’s every sacrifice apparently falls to ruin, readers will feel compelled to follow her to the next volume.
Come for the torrid romance, stay for the dramatic intrigue and fierce feminism. (map; dramatis personae; glossary; sources, literary transmission, and worldbuilding) (Fantasy. 14-18)Pub Date: Aug. 27, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-250-13283-3
Page Count: 448
Publisher: Imprint
Review Posted Online: May 21, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2019
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
PROFILES
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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