Adeptly written but full of inconsistencies.
A teen fleeing from international terrorists takes refuge in a small town in Montana.
Sixteen-year-old Sophia, daughter of American diplomats, arrives in small-town Waterford, Montana, less than 48 hours after a traumatic incident inside a safe house in Tunis. Though fluent in 14 languages, an expert skier, a concert-level pianist, and a skilled survivalist accustomed to carrying a loaded pistol at all times, Sophia hasn’t been to school in 18 months. However, she quickly makes friends and is intrigued by a senior boy named Aksel, whose marksmanship saves her, on the first day at school, from an attack by a grizzly bear. Aksel lives alone in a lush mountain home, his parents having died in a plane crash two years before; he confesses to remembering Sophia from seeing her inside the U.S. Embassy in Berlin. She doesn’t question this coincidence, preferring to dwell at length on Aksel’s stunning green eyes. But a man she vaguely recognizes seems to be stalking her. Rosenhan’s debut is absolutely crammed with action, international name-dropping and intrigue, and sizzling, though PG, scenes between Sophia and Aksel. It’s missing consistency, clearly defined characters, and a well-developed plot—many things happen, but not all of them make sense. Sophia’s desires are never clear, and she often doesn’t ask obvious questions. Neither Sophia nor Aksel are credible high school teens; they read much older. Main characters are white.
Adeptly written but full of inconsistencies. (Fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: July 21, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-5476-0303-9
Page Count: 416
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Review Posted Online: May 1, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2020
Somberly beautiful.
A girl goes in search of her missing sister and discovers a strange hidden world of dreams.
Corin, who’s 18 and dark-skinned, strives to protect her 12-year-old sister, Elly. But life as a thief is full of struggle, poverty, and loss, even without Corin’s avoidance of other relationships. Elly clings to the promise of fairy tales, like the one that says a princess lies sleeping in an underground castle after pricking her finger on a spindle. After the sisters fight and Elly runs off, Corin searches for her in Gyldan’s old network of tunnels—and finds the tale is true: Cursed Princess Amelia, golden-haired, with eyes like “sea glass” and porcelain skin, lies asleep, surrounded by flowers. Corin enters the princess’ dreamworld—the place “where your subconscious desires come to life.” She meets Briar Rose, Amelia’s alter ego, who experienced her share of sadness and wanted to fall asleep. Also in the dreamworld is green-skinned Malicine, the nonbinary demon who, despite having placed the curse of eternal slumber on Amelia, is mostly friendly. All three are running from things they can’t face, though the dreamworld may not give them a choice. Pham’s debut, a Sapphic reimagining of “Sleeping Beauty,” explores mental health and asks a lot of readers as it seesaws between emotional confrontations, time jumps, and scenes where one character inhabits the memories of another, all of which demand intense engagement. Still, the ending is earned as well as positive.
Somberly beautiful. (content note) (Fantasy. 14-18)Pub Date: June 2, 2026
ISBN: 9798217113026
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Kokila
Review Posted Online: March 9, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2026
SEEN & HEARD
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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