

Two girls wounded by their past relationships grapple with the undeniable intensity of their feelings for one another in this novel based on the pop-star author’s popular song and music video. There’s not much plot here, but readers will relish the opportunity to climb inside Autumn’s head. Even secondary characters are well-rounded, with their own histories and motivations. Autumn’s coming-of-age is sensitively chronicled, with a wide range of experiences and events shaping her character. But on August 8, everything changes, and Autumn has to rely on all her strength to move on. In the summer after graduation, Autumn and Finny reconnect and are finally ready to be more than 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 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. The finely drawn characters capture readers’ attention in this debut.Īutumn and Phineas, nicknamed Finny, were born a week apart their mothers are still best friends. Brie and Sebastian read as White Finn reads as fantasy diverse.Ī satisfyingly emotional journey with depth.

The theme of power in terms of consent, free will, balance, and duty is strongly depicted through Brie and Finn’s determination. The focus on Brie’s evolving sense of self and belonging elevates an otherwise familiar fantasy plot with some predictable twists. As she falls into a flirty love triangle, Brie’s relationships with Sebastian and Finn spotlight negative and potentially toxic issues such as jealousy and obsessive possessiveness as well as the importance of positive communication, support, and empathy. After recuperating with the Wild Fae, she reunites with exiled Unseelie Prince Finn and his friends and immediately recalls her attraction to him despite her bond with Sebastian. As the imbalance between the Seelie and Unseelie Courts grows, Brie struggles to fix the problem created by her survival. Despite her mistrust of all fae, Brie vows to demolish all the golden queen’s camps and stop the exploitation of children. Discovering a Seelie prison camp for Unseelie children, Brie unleashes her now considerable magic to free them, alongside Misha and his Wild Fae. Having turned fae after nearly dying from her bond with Sebastian, Abriella flees, reeling from his betrayal. Brie struggles with her newfound power and identity amid growing court upheaval in this duology closer following These Hollow Vows (2021).
