Kirkus Reviews

Kirkus Reviewsby Kirkus Prize Winners; Finalists About the Kirkus Prize Jurors·2 Feb 2026

by Jann Alexander ‧ RELEASE DATE: today A heartbreaking, engaging melodrama with memorable characters and a hopeful conclusion.

top 66%plop score, higher is better

Kirkus Reviewsby Kirkus Prize Winners; Finalists About the Kirkus Prize Jurors·2 Feb 2026

by Tananarive Due ‧ RELEASE DATE: tomorrow Simply stated, this feels perilously close to a career triumph for its author.

top 59%plop score, higher is better

Kirkus Reviewsby Kirkus Prize Winners; Finalists About the Kirkus Prize Jurors·2 Feb 2026

by Steinunn G. Helgadóttir ; translated by Larissa Kyzer ‧ RELEASE DATE: today A restrained novel about discovering and wielding one’s innate powers.

top 66%plop score, higher is better

Kirkus Reviewsby Kirkus Prize Winners; Finalists About the Kirkus Prize Jurors·2 Feb 2026

by John Green ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 22, 2026 A classic Green portrait of young love…but here the fault is in our social media.

top 65%plop score, higher is better

Kirkus Reviewsby Kirkus Prize Winners; Finalists About the Kirkus Prize Jurors·2 Feb 2026

by Caytlyn Brooke ‧ RELEASE DATE: today Gritty, macabre, and historically rich. In Brooke’s gothic historical novel, set in 17th-century Scotland, two sisters who work as healers are accused of...

top 66%plop score, higher is better

Kirkus Reviewsby Kirkus Prize Winners; Finalists About the Kirkus Prize Jurors·2 Feb 2026

by Ellen Halter ‧ RELEASE DATE: today A well-researched, politically urgent story that could use more vivid prose to match its ambitions.

top 59%plop score, higher is better

Kirkus Reviewsby Kirkus Prize Winners; Finalists About the Kirkus Prize Jurors·2 Feb 2026

by Michelle Sacks ‧ RELEASE DATE: today Ambitious in reach, two-dimensional in execution. Connected short stories touching on the life of one formidable woman span the history of...

top 59%plop score, higher is better

Kirkus Reviewsby Kirkus Prize Winners; Finalists About the Kirkus Prize Jurors·2 Feb 2026

by Eli McCann ‧ RELEASE DATE: today Simply charming. A lovable gaggle of competitive quilters attempts to defy the odds.

top 58%plop score, higher is better

Kirkus Reviewsby Kirkus Prize Winners; Finalists About the Kirkus Prize Jurors·2 Feb 2026

by Rachel Harrison ‧ RELEASE DATE: today Not exactly fulfilling, but still pretty fun. A fresh voice in horror takes on a new trope.

top 61%plop score, higher is better

Kirkus Reviewsby Kirkus Prize Winners; Finalists About the Kirkus Prize Jurors·2 Feb 2026

by Sigrún Pálsdóttir ; translated by Lytton Smith ‧ RELEASE DATE: today The story of an underdog in an underdog country, set among lava fields and the expanding city of Reykjavík.

top 59%plop score, higher is better

Kirkus Reviewsby Kirkus Prize Winners; Finalists About the Kirkus Prize Jurors·2 Feb 2026

by Ranjit Arab ‧ RELEASE DATE: today An intriguing portrayal of an underdiscussed event in American history, let down by lackluster execution.

top 52%plop score, higher is better

Kirkus Reviewsby Kirkus Prize Winners; Finalists About the Kirkus Prize Jurors·2 Feb 2026

by Maureen Brady ‧ RELEASE DATE: today A heartfelt immigrant story that goes a bit soft on its painful material.

top 55%plop score, higher is better

Kirkus Reviewsby Kirkus Prize Winners; Finalists About the Kirkus Prize Jurors·2 Feb 2026

by Peter Rock ‧ RELEASE DATE: today Still, this is a touching story of faith and trust and of young lives braving the unknown.

top 55%plop score, higher is better

Kirkus Reviewsby Finalists About the Kirkus Prize·19 Jan 2026

by Kimberly Lemming ‧ RELEASE DATE: today Fast-paced and fun-filled, this is a sexy romp across the planet Waffles. Aliens abduct a Black rock star as part of their interspecies mating program.

top 56%plop score, higher is better

Kirkus Reviewsby Kirkus Prize Winners; Finalists About the Kirkus Prize Jurors·22 Mar 2025

by Susana Torrubiano ; illustrated by Luisa Vera ; translated by Cecilia Ross ‧ RELEASE DATE: today Bathroom humor sure to hit the spot among young readers.

top 59%plop score, higher is better

Kirkus Reviewsby Kirkus Prize Winners; Finalists About the Kirkus Prize Jurors·15 Feb 2025

by Ford von Reyn ‧ RELEASE DATE: today A poignant and absorbing exploration of love, aging, and the possibility of personal reinvention.

top 47%plop score, higher is better

Kirkus Reviewsby Finalists About the Kirkus Prize·15 Feb 2025

by Marlon James ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 1, 2026 Even when it stress-tests your senses, this sprawling depiction of gay life in Jamaica is galvanizing.

top 54%plop score, higher is better

Kirkus Reviewsby Kirkus Prize Winners; Finalists About the Kirkus Prize Jurors·15 Feb 2025

by Ruthvika Rao ‧ RELEASE DATE: today Donna Tartt fans looking for dark erudition should pick up Rao’s novel.

top 57%plop score, higher is better

Kirkus Reviewsby Finalists About the Kirkus Prize·15 Feb 2025

by Marina Lisa Komiya ; illustrated by Marina Lisa Komiya ; translated by Diana Taylor ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept.

top 55%plop score, higher is better

Kirkus Reviewsby Kirkus Prize Winners; Finalists About the Kirkus Prize Jurors·15 Feb 2025

by Drew Buxton ‧ RELEASE DATE: Aug. 25, 2026 Part satire, part wake-up call, and all openhearted perspective, this debut promises excellent work to come from its author.

top 56%plop score, higher is better