A magical and romantic fantasy steeped in Gaelic culture.
When an 18-year-old stumbles into the Otherworld, she’s given a choice: Become one of the Others or die.
Cam Smith is stuck in a world of in-betweens. She’s agender, recently diagnosed as autistic, and torn between parents on opposite side of the Atlantic. Now living with her mums and Granaidh, her grandmother, in Scotland, Cam is anxious about entering Oban High School, her seventh school; on top of being queer, older than her peers, and recently arrived from Texas, Cam is coping with PTSD. After a fight with Mam and Mum, Cam runs into the nearby forest, where she meets Ezra, to whom she’s inexplicably drawn. Ezra, whose father came from Syria and mother was Scottish, uses they/them pronouns. When they tell Cam she must leave at once, the white-presenting teen flees through the darkness and accidentally encounters the Sìthichean, or fair folk. She can join them, becoming immortal but unable to reveal her new identity to her family—or be killed. This engaging fantasy dives into Scottish folklore and tradition, effectively exploring the loss of Gaelic cultural knowledge and the worlds of magic it contains. The inclusion of significant amounts of Gaelic language adds authenticity to the worldbuilding. Though the writing feels clumsy at times, the characters and the sparkling queer romance at the heart of the story are enchanting.
A magical and romantic fantasy steeped in Gaelic culture. (author’s note) (Fantasy. 14-18)Pub Date: Oct. 28, 2025
ISBN: 9781662620980
Page Count: 272
Publisher: Astra Young Readers
Review Posted Online: Sept. 27, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2025
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A lackluster and sometimes disturbing mishmash of overused tropes.
The Plague has left a population divided between Elites and Ordinaries—those who have powers and those who don’t; now, an Ordinary teen fights for her life.
Paedyn Gray witnessed the king kill her father five years ago, and she’s been thieving and sleeping rough ever since, all while faking Psychic abilities. When she inadvertently saves the life of Prince Kai, she becomes embroiled in the Purging Trials, a competition to commemorate the sickness that killed most of the kingdom’s Ordinaries. Kai’s duties as the future Enforcer include eradicating any remaining Ordinaries, and these Trials are his chance to prove that he’s internalized his brutal training. But Kai can’t help but find Pae’s blue eyes, silver hair, and unabashed attitude enchanting. She likewise struggles to resist his stormy gray eyes, dark hair, and rakish behavior, even as they’re pitted against each other in the Trials and by the king himself. Scenes and concepts that are strongly reminiscent of the Hunger Games fall flat: They aren’t bolstered by the original’s heart or worldbuilding logic that would have justified a few extreme story elements. Illogical leaps and inconsistent characterizations abound, with lighthearted romantic interludes juxtaposed against genocide, child abuse, and sadism. These elements, which are not sufficiently addressed, combined with the use of ableist language, cannot be erased by any amount of romantic banter. Main characters are cued white; the supporting cast has some brown-skinned characters.
A lackluster and sometimes disturbing mishmash of overused tropes. (map) (Fantasy. 14-18)Pub Date: Nov. 7, 2023
ISBN: 9798987380406
Page Count: 538
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Sept. 9, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2023
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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