Dazzling, female-driven fantasy.
Triplet sisters leave their homeland to marry princes from other countries, a step in their mother’s plan to expand her rule.
Sophronia, Daphne, and Beatriz have trained their whole lives in the art of deception. Empress Margaraux wants them to drive their new countries to war with each other so she can sweep in and assume control. Kindhearted Sophronia is sent to Temarin to finally meet her betrothed, for whom she has already started to develop feelings through their exchange of letters. Daphne, the sister closest to their mother, heads to Friv, where a rebellion is brewing, and Beatriz trained with courtesans for her assigned duty in Cellaria, a country where magic is outlawed. Margaraux gifted each daughter one wish, pulled down from the stars, to use only when desperately needed. But the empress has plans of her own, and as truths are revealed and new friendships and romances bloom, each sister must decide where her loyalties lie. Kicking off a new trilogy, this enchanting tale is filled with captivating court intrigue and espionage. The narrative shifts between the three sisters, creating page-turning momentum. The worldbuilding is expansive yet never overwhelming, as the multiple settings and characters are distinct and compelling. While there seems to be no racial diversity on this fantasy continent—the characters present White—queerness is present, accepted in some countries and not others, and there are tensions between people of different classes.
Dazzling, female-driven fantasy. (Fantasy. 14-18)Pub Date: Feb. 1, 2022
ISBN: 978-0-593-11816-0
Page Count: 528
Publisher: Delacorte
Review Posted Online: Nov. 15, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2021
A compelling romance inhabited by complex and appealing characters.
When star hockey player Alec Barczewski’s estranged childhood friend, Dani Collins, moves to town, they end up in a mutually beneficial fake-dating relationship that reignites old feelings.
Following her parents’ divorce, Dani and her mom move in with Dani’s hockey legend grandfather in Southview, Minnesota, where she spent a month every summer as a child and where her friendship with Alec grew. Between visits, the two were pen pals, but they eventually fell out of touch. Despite some tensions over their loss of friendship, the high school seniors reconnect. Desperate to get off Harvard’s waitlist, Dani needs another extracurricular activity, while Alec—whose reputation took a hit when a photo of him holding a bong appeared on social media—is eager to improve his tarnished image for NHL scouts. The pair strike a deal: They’ll fake date, making Alec look like a stable guy whose academically gifted girlfriend is related to hockey royalty, and in exchange, he’ll get Dani a team manager position that will catch the eye of Harvard’s admissions officers. Eventually, complicated feelings about their past, stressful family relationships, and their brewing romance boil over. Romance fans will love the deliciously tension-filled scenes between Alec and Dani, who are believable friends with heavy demands weighing on them. They feel like real teenagers, and readers will enjoy rooting for them as the well-paced story unfolds. Main characters present white.
A compelling romance inhabited by complex and appealing characters. (Romance. 14-18)Pub Date: Sept. 30, 2025
ISBN: 9781665921268
Page Count: 448
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Aug. 2, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2025
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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