Magic and mystery collide in this gripping Afrofuturist debut.
A teen girl is recruited to join a supernatural investigation agency after witnessing an attack on her father.
Just one year ago, Akoma Addo would have sworn there was no such thing as magic. Then her father was attacked by a sphere of light, which left him in a coma. She was recruited to work for InterMag, a group operating under the guise of the San Francisco Police Department’s Special Cases Division. Now 17-year-old Akoma investigates crimes in which magic may be involved and tries to solve her father’s case. When an undercover operation goes sideways and a body is discovered surrounded by ash and molten gold, Akoma realizes that the recent spate of crimes in AfricaTown may be connected in ways she could never have imagined. When she’s confronted by someone she may not be able to trust with a deal that is risky but could lead to her father’s being healed, Akoma faces a tough decision. Ghanaian gods and mages intersect with advanced technology in a near-future San Francisco in this story centering on Black characters that excels in its robust worldbuilding. AfricaTown, in particular, is beautifully rendered; the smells and sounds of many African countries’ cultures coming together in one community build a vivid celebration of the diaspora. The characters’ banter provides humor in otherwise tense situations, and the ending promisingly leaves the door open for more.
Magic and mystery collide in this gripping Afrofuturist debut. (Fantasy. 12-18)Pub Date: June 2, 2026
ISBN: 9781546147466
Page Count: 416
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: Feb. 16, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2026
In addition to the supernatural elements, Brosgol interweaves some savvy insights about the illusion of perfection and...
A deliciously creepy page-turning gem from first-time writer and illustrator Brosgol finds brooding teenager Anya trying to escape the past—both her own and the ghost haunting her.
Anya feels out of place at her preppy private school; embarrassed by her Russian heritage, she has worked hard to lose her accent and to look more like everyone else. After a particularly frustrating morning at the bus stop, Anya storms off, only to accidentally fall down a well. Down in the dark hole, she meets Emily, a ghost who claims to be a murder victim trapped down in the dank abyss for 90 years. With Emily’s help, Anya manages to escape, though once free, she learns that Emily has traveled out with her. At first, Emily seems like the perfect friend; however, once her motives become clear, Anya learns that “perfect” may only be an illusion. A moodily atmospheric spectrum of grays washes over the clean, tidy panels, setting a distinct stage before the first words appear. Brosgol’s tight storytelling invokes the chilling feeling of Neil Gaiman’s Coraline (2002), though for a decidedly older set.
In addition to the supernatural elements, Brosgol interweaves some savvy insights about the illusion of perfection and outward appearance. (Graphic supernatural fiction. 12 & up)Pub Date: June 7, 2011
ISBN: 978-1-59643-552-0
Page Count: 224
Publisher: First Second
Review Posted Online: April 18, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2011
A descriptive and atmospheric paranormal social thriller that could be a bit tighter.
After a Nigerian British girl goes off to an exclusive boarding school that seems to prey on less-privileged students, she discovers there might be some truth behind an urban legend.
Ife Adebola joins the Urban Achievers scholarship program at pricey, high-pressure Nithercott School, arriving shortly after a student called Leon mysteriously disappeared. Gossip says he’s a victim of the glowing-eyed Changing Man who targets the lonely, leaving them changed. Ife doesn’t believe in the myth, but amid the stresses of Nithercott’s competitive, privileged, majority-white environment, where she is constantly reminded of her state school background, she does miss her friends and family. When Malika, a fellow Black scholarship student, disappears and then returns, acting strangely devoid of personality, Ife worries the Changing Man is real—and that she’s next. Ife joins forces with classmate Bijal and Benny, Leon’s younger brother, to uncover the truth about who the Changing Man is and what he wants. Culminating in a detailed, gory, and extended climactic battle, this verbose thriller tempts readers with a nefarious mystery involving racial and class-based violence but never quite lives up to its potential and peters out thematically by its explosive finale. However, this debut offers highly visually evocative and eerie descriptions of characters and events and will appeal to fans of creature horror, social commentary, and dark academia.
A descriptive and atmospheric paranormal social thriller that could be a bit tighter. (Thriller. 14-18)Pub Date: Sept. 26, 2023
ISBN: 9781250868138
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Review Posted Online: June 8, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2023
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