A cozy paranormal romance that’s full of heart and humor.
In Maine, a newly diagnosed diabetic and a newly turned vampire form an unlikely connection.
Perley and Amandine both missed weeks of school during their junior year. Perley had a health crisis that led to the discovery that he has Type 1 diabetes. After Amandine was in a serious car accident, she received a blood transfusion that turned her into a vampire but saved her life. The teens bond as they catch up on missed schoolwork and reflect on how different their lives have become: Perley lives on a family farm and needs to be more mindful about physical labor, while Amandine loves field hockey, but her photosensitivity prevents her from playing. After Amandine attends a first aid course and discovers her ability to accurately taste blood glucose levels, the friends decide this is the perfect solution: The vegan Amandine could use the energy boost from real blood, while Perley can save money on testing strips and stay on top of his readings. A sweet romance blossoms between them. Both teens have concerned and supportive parents and friends. Importantly, the book also discusses the various ways that chronic illness has an impact on daily life. Clear dialogue bubbles make for an easy reading experience, and the soft color palette adds an appealing warmth, as do the adorably fluffy farm animals. Perley is Jewish and reads white, while brown-skinned, black-haired Amandine is from a multiethnic Cajun family.
A cozy paranormal romance that’s full of heart and humor. (minicomics, character sketches) (Graphic paranormal. 14-18)Pub Date: Oct. 22, 2024
ISBN: 9781250863195
Page Count: 240
Publisher: First Second
Review Posted Online: Aug. 3, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2024
A descriptive and atmospheric paranormal social thriller that could be a bit tighter.
After a Nigerian British girl goes off to an exclusive boarding school that seems to prey on less-privileged students, she discovers there might be some truth behind an urban legend.
Ife Adebola joins the Urban Achievers scholarship program at pricey, high-pressure Nithercott School, arriving shortly after a student called Leon mysteriously disappeared. Gossip says he’s a victim of the glowing-eyed Changing Man who targets the lonely, leaving them changed. Ife doesn’t believe in the myth, but amid the stresses of Nithercott’s competitive, privileged, majority-white environment, where she is constantly reminded of her state school background, she does miss her friends and family. When Malika, a fellow Black scholarship student, disappears and then returns, acting strangely devoid of personality, Ife worries the Changing Man is real—and that she’s next. Ife joins forces with classmate Bijal and Benny, Leon’s younger brother, to uncover the truth about who the Changing Man is and what he wants. Culminating in a detailed, gory, and extended climactic battle, this verbose thriller tempts readers with a nefarious mystery involving racial and class-based violence but never quite lives up to its potential and peters out thematically by its explosive finale. However, this debut offers highly visually evocative and eerie descriptions of characters and events and will appeal to fans of creature horror, social commentary, and dark academia.
A descriptive and atmospheric paranormal social thriller that could be a bit tighter. (Thriller. 14-18)Pub Date: Sept. 26, 2023
ISBN: 9781250868138
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Review Posted Online: June 8, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2023
BOOK REVIEW
Chilling yet romantic; explores the complexities of death, love, and grief.
A teenage mortician’s assistant discovers that the dead don’t always stay that way.
Seventeen-year-old Meka is no stranger to death, having grown up working in her parents’ Ithaca, New York, funeral home. Though the morbidity of her job unsettles some of her friends, Meka is passionate about her family’s business, and she has the full support of her boyfriend, Noah. But despite her comfort with death, she’s haunted by a recurring nightmare about her mother dying—a dream she desperately hopes won’t come true. When Meka’s life is rocked by a completely unexpected tragedy, strange things begin happening: She sees shadowy figures lurking, a mysterious gift arrives on her doorstep, and fragments of a buried memory resurface. As Meka slowly pieces together the truth, what she finds forces her to question everything she knows about life and death—and her own family. Bayron crafts a page-turning, atmospheric homage to Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, balancing unnerving horror with tender romance. Teens familiar with the original novel will enjoy the modern twist, and the layered mystery will also appeal to reluctant readers and those without prior knowledge of Shelley’s work. The foreboding narrative starts out at a slower pace and builds to an action-packed conclusion, though readers may be left with some unanswered questions. Meka and her family are cued as Black.
Chilling yet romantic; explores the complexities of death, love, and grief. (Horror. 14-18)Pub Date: Sept. 30, 2025
ISBN: 9781547615865
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Review Posted Online: July 3, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2025
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