Rating: ★★★★
Audience: YA Historical Fantasy
Length: 432 pages
Author: Autumn Krause
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Release Date: September 1st, 2026
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

In this sweeping WWII historical romance threaded with magic and myth, two star-crossed Japanese American teenagers find a love more powerful than the gods — inspired by the author’s true family history of internment and resilience.

A divine favor can change everything.

1942. War rumbles across the world, gods stir in the wind, and two lives are set on a collision course that will change them forever.

Seventeen-year-old Ren Hamada has always been defined by his troubled past, while Violet Aratani has only ever worried about keeping her straight-A grades and helping her parents run their beloved print shop. The two have little in common beyond the old magic that thrums in their worn family relics—and the fact that they’re Japanese American in a country determined to cast them as the enemy.

Forced out of their homes and into ramshackle wooden barracks in the California desert by the US government, Ren and Violet collide. In a barbed wire world where everything they thought they knew is upside-down, the magnetic pull between them is the only thing that makes sense.

But there’s more than just desert dust swirling in the air. A god walks among them, his mortal form tethered to the camp, and only Violet and Ren hold the key to freeing him—an act that would earn them an immeasurable reward. Yet with tensions rising and their lives on the line, is even a divine favor powerful enough to save them?

Thank you to Get Underlined for the gifted copy.

IMPACTFUL STORY.

I happened to read this on audio before my physical copy got here and I really enjoyed the duel narration between the POV’s of Ren and Violet. Don’t leave out the author’s note either. It added crucial information about the history and construction of the book and how her family’s story was included.

I appreciated broadening my understanding of the internment camps during WWII. It’s an important part of history that isn’t discussed enough and it was heartbreaking knowing the lasting trauma that came from this time period. Alongside the hard were moments of strength infused with hope.

The romance between Ren and Violet was fast and sweet. I liked the connection between them and learning to communicate and support each other through the trials they were facing. There was a magical element to the book that I was never sure was truly needed but it does add an extra element if you like the combination of a historical with magic.

An impactful story with characters you want to root for. I look forward to reading more books from this author (I also recommend Grave Flowers!).

Overall audience notes:

• YA Historical Fantasy
• Language: moderate
• Romance: kisses
• Violence: moderate – high
• Content warnings: racism, grief, loss of life, weapons/physical violence, internment camps

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