NIGHTBREAKER

A teen seeks to destroy the monsters that hold her city captive.

Fifteen years ago, a dense fog descended on Manhattan, and anyone caught in it disappeared, never to return. The Vanishing also spawned Deathlings, horrific, twisted monsters that kill at nightfall and crave sugary foods and human flesh. Chinese American Rei has been training to win the Tournament, the competition that is the path to joining the ruling Syndicate; that way, she can finally work to purge the city of the Deathlings that brutally slaughtered her parents. But in the televised Tournament, in which Rei begins to discover dark secrets, she cannot trust anyone—not even Kieran, the attractive ex-boyfriend who’s pitted against her as one of the elite student competitors engaging in life-threatening tasks. While Rei’s desolate New York City evokes disturbing reminders of the pandemic lockdown experience, details about the rise of the governing Syndicate feel too thinly fleshed out. Discussions of inequity in a setting where being unhoused brings a risk of falling prey to Deathlings add a realistic layer to the glamorized Tournament. Similarly, the population’s shared losses and traumas give an extra dimension to supporting cast members who are otherwise underdeveloped due to the fast pacing and packed plot. The renewed romance between Rei and newly buff Kieran seesaws between insta-lust and heartwarming flashbacks, entertaining banter, and rebuilt trust.

Gripping, grim, and entertaining despite feeling a bit formulaic.