High-stakes competition, swoony romance, and expertly crafted worldbuilding distinguish this debut.
Against a backdrop of phoenix races, a dedicated tamer and a charismatic rider—initially at odds with one another—find love while fighting for their survival.
Kel is trying to keep her family’s farm and aviary afloat. As a phoenix tamer, she looks after and trains the phoenixes for their racing team, the Crimson Howlers; Dira, the team’s winger and Kel’s longtime friend, handles strategy. After the Howlers’ rider dies in a race, Dira connects with brothers Bekn, a mitigator (publicist who seeks sponsors), and Coup, a reckless rider in need of a team. Even though Coup’s arrogance frustrates Kel, they may be able to help each other survive the often-brutal world of phoenix racing. When a fire destroys Kel’s family’s aviary, tech giant Cristo Industries offers to sponsor her and Coup alone. Tempted by their financial generosity, Kel agrees, but she becomes suspicious that there are dark motives behind their interest in her and Savita, her phoenix. The relationships are a strength of the story: Kel’s love for and commitment to Savita adds layers to the suspenseful conflict, and Kel and Coup’s eventual romance creates bonds that strengthen the emotional reserves they’ll need to draw upon. The richly imagined island world, with its elaborate racing tracks and variety of mythical creatures, comes together seamlessly. Kel and Coup are cued white, and Dira has dark brown skin.
High-stakes competition, swoony romance, and expertly crafted worldbuilding distinguish this debut. (content warning, excerpt from The Saltan Bestiary) (Fantasy. 13-18)Pub Date: July 15, 2025
ISBN: 9780374393427
Page Count: 416
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Review Posted Online: April 19, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2025
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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