Delightfully queer and downright swoonworthy.
A gay teen heartthrob plays cupid for everyone but himself.
Perfect Highbury Academy senior Emmett Woodhouse has it all: good looks, generational wealth, kindness, and even an awareness of his privilege (sort of). He doesn’t have a boyfriend, but that’s only because he doesn’t “do relationships”—his mom died young, so it’s complicated. Instead, Emmett sets up other people. The current project: finding a suitable boyfriend for friend-with-benefits Harrison, who, inconveniently, caught feelings and ended their sexy “tutoring” sessions. Plan after plan backfires—sometimes with a dramatic flurry of petals—but Emmett doesn’t give up at every “incorrect romantic moment.” He pivots. But can he shift to see the love that’s right in front of him, too? This adaptation of Jane Austen’s Emmasees the infamous titular matchmaker effectively gender-swapped and yassified for contemporary audiences. Rosen aptly carries Austen’s torch, delivering comparably witty banter and keen social commentary. The overtly queer lens, however, exceeds expectations with its frank observations about modern queer dating culture. Emmett and bestie Taylor, who is trans, are both Jewish and cued white; other bestie Miles is brown-skinned and donor-conceived, with moms who are white and Indian. The sheer number of auxiliary queer characters in this accepting setting, from teen to college-aged to adult, creates a strong sense of both LGBTQ+ community and possibility.
Delightfully queer and downright swoonworthy. (Romance. 14-18)Pub Date: Nov. 7, 2023
ISBN: 9780316524773
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: Aug. 26, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2023
PERSPECTIVES
A thrilling, climactic storm with an abrupt conclusion.
In this much-anticipated trilogy closer following 2019’s Children of Virtue and Vengeance, an enemy from a land across the sea carries out conquests to fulfill a prophecy that threatens the entire world.
The war between the maji and the crown of Orïsha ends when the Skulls, a tribe of masked, pale-skinned invaders, interrupt the pivotal battle, abducting Zélie, Tzain, Amari, Inan, and dozens of maji from their homeland. Caged on a ship and cut off from their magic, they have no choice but to set aside their bitterness and distrust to fight for their freedom. Ruthless and empowered by the volatile magic of bloodmetal weapons, the Skulls hunt for Zélie, “a girl with the blood of the sun,” at the command of their king, Baldyr, who prepares for his ascension to godhood during the Blood Moon. As much as she longs to return home, visions and an intertwined fate pull Zélie, along with her companions, to the land of New Gaīa in search of a girl with russet-brown skin and eyes that glitter like diamonds. United goals, fresh conflict, and impending doom provide invigorating gusts of momentum that push the story out of the doldrums of the previous book. On its own, this installment is a suspenseful and compelling expansion of the world, but as a series finale, the conflict seems disconnected from the first two books, and the resolution feels rushed.
A thrilling, climactic storm with an abrupt conclusion. (guide to clans) (Fantasy. 14-18)Pub Date: June 25, 2024
ISBN: N/A
Page Count: 368
Publisher: Henry Holt
Review Posted Online: March 9, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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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