A gripping supernatural tale that delivers a superlative cast and unyielding tension.
Paranormal abilities and events put a teenager and her loved ones in peril in this third installment of a YA dark fantasy series.
Del Larouche can see others’ pasts when she’s in a trance. But this also draws spirits, including one that attacked her “eccentric family”: mentor Mama Dedé, benefactor Armand Baptiste, and Jimmy Wawoo, a teen whose “mental condition kept him trapped at a much younger age.” Del, hoping to protect them, goes off on her own, though she stays in New Orleans. One night, she nearly becomes the victim of an assault but manages to fight off the assailants. Unfortunately, Del can’t remember what she did to one of the men, who’s now likely dead. While a menacing individual tied to the unlucky assailant searches for “that witch” Del, an older stranger cryptically offers to help the teen find her “path” and refine her ability, giving her horrifying visions of and access to the lost dead. Meanwhile, that spirit’s attack has rendered Mama Dedé practically comatose. Desperate for assistance, Armand and Jimmy hope for an accommodating spirit via a Ouija board, but instead stir up an entity more dangerous than they anticipated. As in the preceding installment, Quinton’s 1960s-set tale centers on dynamic characters. Quite a few take the narrative reins, from Armand and Jimmy to returning former cop Frank Morgan and a particularly nasty villain who allows “The Red,” an apparent presence, to take over. The story itself is relentlessly moody; most of what Del does carries a potential threat—taking late-night walks to her apartment after work, putting herself in a trance to check in on her family, and engaging with a co-worker who senselessly loathes her. Frequent dreams or dreamlike states come alive with haunting descriptions, such as Del suddenly developing an “itchy, squirmy feeling” in her own bedroom and Armand having an unsettling daydream that makes him break out in a sweat and causes his throat to convulse. The ending, rather than presenting a thorough resolution, opts for a doozy of a cliffhanger.
A gripping supernatural tale that delivers a superlative cast and unyielding tension.Pub Date: June 10, 2022
ISBN: 9781736659038
Page Count: 382
Publisher: Self
Review Posted Online: Sept. 18, 2025
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A lackluster and sometimes disturbing mishmash of overused tropes.
The Plague has left a population divided between Elites and Ordinaries—those who have powers and those who don’t; now, an Ordinary teen fights for her life.
Paedyn Gray witnessed the king kill her father five years ago, and she’s been thieving and sleeping rough ever since, all while faking Psychic abilities. When she inadvertently saves the life of Prince Kai, she becomes embroiled in the Purging Trials, a competition to commemorate the sickness that killed most of the kingdom’s Ordinaries. Kai’s duties as the future Enforcer include eradicating any remaining Ordinaries, and these Trials are his chance to prove that he’s internalized his brutal training. But Kai can’t help but find Pae’s blue eyes, silver hair, and unabashed attitude enchanting. She likewise struggles to resist his stormy gray eyes, dark hair, and rakish behavior, even as they’re pitted against each other in the Trials and by the king himself. Scenes and concepts that are strongly reminiscent of the Hunger Games fall flat: They aren’t bolstered by the original’s heart or worldbuilding logic that would have justified a few extreme story elements. Illogical leaps and inconsistent characterizations abound, with lighthearted romantic interludes juxtaposed against genocide, child abuse, and sadism. These elements, which are not sufficiently addressed, combined with the use of ableist language, cannot be erased by any amount of romantic banter. Main characters are cued white; the supporting cast has some brown-skinned characters.
A lackluster and sometimes disturbing mishmash of overused tropes. (map) (Fantasy. 14-18)Pub Date: Nov. 7, 2023
ISBN: 9798987380406
Page Count: 538
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Sept. 9, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2023
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
BOOK REVIEW
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