A well-paced page-turner about uncovering the truth at any cost.
Savannah’s sister, Piper, is comatose after falling off a cliff, but was it really an accident?
Piper seems perfect: smart, popular, and successful at everything she tries. Savannah is the soccer star of Grayling High, but she feels invisible, stuck in her younger sister’s shadow at home as well as at school. When Piper is found unconscious beneath a scenic lookout called Vanderwild Point, some of her classmates suspect she attempted suicide—but Savannah wants to figure out what really happened and whether it was her fault. She discovers a note in Piper’s locker asking her to come to a Survival Club meeting at the Point on the day she fell, but why was the club holding a session on a Wednesday when they only meet on Mondays? For that matter, why did Piper even join the Survival Club when she hates the outdoors? Savannah uncovers more strange clues. Who is the mysterious Alex who called Piper’s cell three times the day of the incident? Savannah is determined to uncover evidence of wrongdoing before going to the police. This fast-moving mystery focuses on Savannah and her feelings in the aftermath of her sister’s accident. The realistically imperfect characters make mistakes and have human flaws. Readers will enjoy the twists and turns as facts that exonerate one person throw suspicion onto others. Main characters read as White.
A well-paced page-turner about uncovering the truth at any cost. (Mystery. 14-18)Pub Date: April 5, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-72825-597-2
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Review Posted Online: Jan. 10, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2022
A worthy follow-up to a stellar debut.
A Black teenage witch deals with the fallout of past choices while trying to prevent future destruction.
Voya is facing the aftermath of the tough choices she made in Blood Like Magic (2021) in order to pass her Calling and acquire magical powers. Having received two gifts, Voya is now the youngest Matriarch ever to be crowned in her family. She finds that she has much to do to earn the respect of those around her—and possibly even those who came before her, since her ancestors have not answered any of her calls for guidance. The recent death of her grandmother—her family’s previous Matriarch—has caused new intrafamilial strain and enhanced existing stressors. Not only that, but Justin Tremblay, renowned tech magnate and sponsor father of Luc, Voya’s first love, is presumed dead, and Luc thinks Voya is responsible. As if her plate weren’t full enough, Voya experiences a vision that shows her the potential annihilation of her family and the wider Black witch community in Toronto. Now, to try and prevent the devastating future she foresaw, she has to work to overcome her insecurities as a Matriarch and convince the elders who also lack faith in her to unite. Thanks to Sambury’s fluid writing style and well-established storyline and characters, readers will easily be able to follow Voya and other supporting characters as their lives and challenges become more complicated.
A worthy follow-up to a stellar debut. (Fantasy. 14-18)Pub Date: Aug. 9, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-5344-6531-2
Page Count: 480
Publisher: McElderry
Review Posted Online: May 24, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2022
A strong beginning that will leave readers hungry for more.
Subterfuge is the name of the game at an elite and secretive prep school.
Seventeen-year-old Italian-American November was born in August. Though she tragically lost her mother at age 6, she has an enviable life in small-town Connecticut, a strong relationship with her dad, and a mentor in her Aunt Jo. That is until, due to a family emergency, her father sends her away to a covert boarding school. Instead of mathematics and literature, students at the Academy Absconditi learn how to wield weapons both physical and psychological, and history is taught so they might manipulate the future. Guileless November quickly allies herself with her studious Egyptian roommate, Layla, and Layla’s handsome brother, Ash. When a fellow student turns up dead, November must expose the truth, including her own connection to the victim and the influential Council of Families, while navigating a minefield of misinformation. The first-person narration is unreliable due to the protagonist’s ignorance of the society in which she moves, while surreptitious behavior by the supporting characters forces the reader to be as wary as November ought to be. Revelations are well-paced, though astute readers are apt to pick up several of the dropped clues (but some are dropped and not resolved). Red herrings or possible threads that will be woven into future plots? Anything is possible in this world of cloaks and daggers.
A strong beginning that will leave readers hungry for more. (Thriller. 14-18)Pub Date: March 26, 2019
ISBN: 978-0-525-57908-3
Page Count: 416
Publisher: Knopf
Review Posted Online: Dec. 18, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2019
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