Shiveringly good.
In this sequel to A Hundred Vicious Turns (2023), Rat must outwit magical enemies to save Harker.
Two months ago, Isola, a deadly, feylike creature known as a Rook, took Harker, Rat’s love interest and occasional rival, captive. To rescue him, Rat must pay Isola’s ransom by finding Isola’s heart, which was taken from her and hidden in the Ingrid Collection long ago. However, Rat isn’t the only one seeking the Collection—Evening is also on the hunt. Thanks to a rare hint from Isola, Rat and their friends begin to suspect Evening of stealing from the archives belonging to the oldest magical families. Their best bet for finding out the truth is during the Revel, when Evening will be distracted by the festivities. Complicating matters, Isola offers her assistance in distracting Evening in exchange for an invitation that will allow her to attend the Revel for mysterious reasons of her own. Rat starts planning heists on two fronts when newcomer Allister points them to a spell that might let them sneak past Isola’s wards. While both enemies are preoccupied during the Revel, Rat must break into Evening’s office and rescue Harker from Isola’s tower. This duology closer seamlessly ties up loose ends without disruptive exposition. Isola is as terrifying as ever, if a bit less alien now that she’s familiar to both Rat and readers. New information about the magical system expands the worldbuilding around the white-presenting leads.
Shiveringly good. (Fantasy. 12-18)Pub Date: March 11, 2025
ISBN: 9781419765179
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Amulet/Abrams
Review Posted Online: Dec. 14, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2025
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
An ode to the children of migrants who have been taken away.
A Mexican American boy takes on heavy responsibilities when his family is torn apart.
Mateo’s life is turned upside down the day U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents show up unsuccessfully seeking his Pa at his New York City bodega. The Garcias live in fear until the day both parents are picked up; his Pa is taken to jail and his Ma to a detention center. The adults around Mateo offer support to him and his 7-year-old sister, Sophie, however, he knows he is now responsible for caring for her and the bodega as well as trying to survive junior year—that is, if he wants to fulfill his dream to enter the drama program at the Tisch School of the Arts and become an actor. Mateo’s relationships with his friends Kimmie and Adam (a potential love interest) also suffer repercussions as he keeps his situation a secret. Kimmie is half Korean (her other half is unspecified) and Adam is Italian American; Mateo feels disconnected from them, less American, and with worries they can’t understand. He talks himself out of choosing a safer course of action, a decision that deepens the story. Mateo’s self-awareness and inner monologue at times make him seem older than 16, and, with significant turmoil in the main plot, some side elements feel underdeveloped. Aleman’s narrative joins the ranks of heart-wrenching stories of migrant families who have been separated.
An ode to the children of migrants who have been taken away. (Fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: May 4, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-7595-5605-8
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: Feb. 22, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2021
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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