Day’s YA: HEART’S GAMBIT

HEART’S GAMBIT by J.D. Myall
9781250365408
2/3/26
Wednesday Books
Ages 13-18

Egalley available on Edelweiss and NetGalley

The Baldwins and the Davenports have been destined to hate each other for many, many years. Back in 1860, two enslaved kids fell in love and dreamed of running away together. But when they tried to escape, they got caught by their mistress, a powerful witch named Sabine. So she made them a deal. She would grant them and their descendants magical powers and the ability to time travel, but their two families will be sworn enemies for the rest of eternity. And that’s not all. Once a generation, one member from each family must compete in a magical duel to the death. 

Fast forward a couple of centuries, and Emma Baldwin and Malcolm Davenport are selected as this generation’s competitors. When they meet up ahead of the competition, sparks fly and they immediately begin to fall in love. Knowing they must keep their budding romance a secret from their feuding families, they write each other letters and travel through time together, desperate to find a way to break the curse and fight their ever-growing urges to harm one another. They’ve both lost family members to the curse, and their shared grief brings them closer. From New Orleans in 1922 to Manhattan in 2104, and everywhere in between, they fall deeper in love, but no matter where (or when) they run to, the threat of death follows them. 

This debut and series opener combines the magical traveling circus of THE NIGHT CIRCUS with the epic love story of OUR INFINITE FATES and the spell-binding fantasy of CARAVAL. It has atmospheric writing and lush worldbuilding that completely swept me away to countless times and places. The young love and family drama are reminiscent of Romeo and Juliet, but with the added intrigue of magical powers and time travel. And I loved reading both Emma and Malcolm’s points-of-view. They each have such different perspectives and their own reasons for wanting to end the curse once and for all. The book also tackles topics of grief, mental health, and complicated family relationships with gentleness and care. The ending has a satisfying twist and nicely sets up for the next book in the series. I can’t wait to read more from J.D. Myall!

Happy reading!
<3 Emily

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