A riveting dark dystopia.
Four teenagers find themselves enrolled at a mysterious military school.
In 2037, as the U.S. remains involved in the protracted Cold War, four teenagers are sent to the military Valeran Academy. Three of them have committed crimes; their sentences will be commuted when they graduate. Each teen possesses a unique skill set. Keenly intelligent politician Julian Joyce-Young III has wealth and connections, but nevertheless he’s been arrested for embezzlement and accepting bribes. Russian-born Klaudia Shimonova, charged with forgery and financial fraud, is a master strategist. Giselle Buckley, a former pageant queen arrested for stealing credit card numbers, has an eidetic memory. And Nadiya Karam, who has a complicated relationship with Valeran headmaster Dr. Iver, is proficient with virtually any weapon. The four young people are recruited by the CIA for a dangerous secret mission. As they endure intense training, secrets begin to surface. The group soon realizes that the mission is far more perilous (and morally complex) than they were led to believe. Desperate to reclaim their power and freedom, they must decide whether their loyalty to one another can withstand the cost of what they’re being asked to do. With an intriguing and well-executed premise, this duology opener delivers well-developed characters and high-stakes tension. Fans of Reid will recognize her trademark atmospheric and literary prose and intricately drawn relationships. Nadiya has olive skin and hair that is “pin straight and pure black,” and the other leads present white.
A riveting dark dystopia. (Dystopian. 14-18)Pub Date: Sept. 15, 2026
ISBN: 9780063462281
Page Count: 448
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: June 1, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2026
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
There’s not much plot here, but readers will relish the opportunity to climb inside Autumn’s head.
The finely drawn characters capture readers’ attention in this debut.
Autumn and Phineas, nicknamed Finny, were born a week apart; their mothers are still best 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[s] 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. In the summer after graduation, Autumn and Finny reconnect and are finally ready to be more than friends. But on August 8, everything changes, and Autumn has to rely on all her strength to move on. Autumn’s coming-of-age is sensitively chronicled, with a wide range of experiences and events shaping her character. Even secondary characters are well-rounded, with their own histories and motivations.
There’s not much plot here, but readers will relish the opportunity to climb inside Autumn’s head. (Fiction. 14 & up)Pub Date: April 1, 2013
ISBN: 978-1-4022-7782-5
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Review Posted Online: Feb. 12, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2013
BOOK REVIEW
SEEN & HEARD
A heavy read about the harsh realities of tragedy and their effects on those left behind.
In this companion novel to 2013’s If He Had Been With Me, three characters tell their sides of the story.
Finn’s narrative starts three days before his death. He explores the progress of his unrequited love for best friend Autumn up until the day he finally expresses his feelings. Finn’s story ends with his tragic death, which leaves his close friends devastated, unmoored, and uncertain how to go on. Jack’s section follows, offering a heartbreaking look at what it’s like to live with grief. Jack works to overcome the anger he feels toward Sylvie, the girlfriend Finn was breaking up with when he died, and Autumn, the girl he was preparing to build his life around (but whom Jack believed wasn’t good enough for Finn). But when Jack sees how Autumn’s grief matches his own, it changes their understanding of one another. Autumn’s chapters trace her life without Finn as readers follow her struggles with mental health and balancing love and loss. Those who have read the earlier book will better connect with and feel for these characters, particularly since they’ll have a more well-rounded impression of Finn. The pain and anger is well written, and the novel highlights the most troublesome aspects of young adulthood: overconfidence sprinkled with heavy insecurities, fear-fueled decisions, bad communication, and brash judgments. Characters are cued white.
A heavy read about the harsh realities of tragedy and their effects on those left behind. (author’s note, content warning) (Fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: Feb. 6, 2024
ISBN: 9781728276229
Page Count: 416
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Review Posted Online: Jan. 5, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
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