THE HYBRID

In this YA fantasy, a teen gets tested and discovers that he’s the rarest form of hybrid.

In the 22nd century, 13-year-old Sebastian “Seb” Parker is finally free of his father’s house and in the Testing Centre to see what talent he possesses. After he endures the grueling, life-threatening test, the results show that Sebastian is not only a Hybrid, an alpha with at least two affinities, but also a Quad-brid, with all four talents. As a Quad-brid, Seb can pick any of the four specialties he wants to be trained in at “the Academy”—Healer, Conjurer, Telek, or, the most feared of them all, Necro. As much as Seb wants to be a Healer, his father’s threats of being forced to “live in the basement, forever,” where he was tortured and starved for months, lead him to choose Necro. Considering how scared the rest of the school is of Necros, it’s little wonder Seb has a difficult time connecting with his fellow students. This would make school hard enough, but unbeknown to Seb, his own teachers are petitioning for his death. A Quad-brid is dangerous, and there is a prophecy about an alpha “born of the Dark” who “will have power like no other” who sounds suspiciously like Seb. Despite all these challenges, Seb makes two friends at school—Michael Corey and Samantha Green. Maybe with some students actually on his side, Seb can survive his first year. In this ambitious series opener, Frances takes readers to a magical school with four distinct houses, weighty prophecies, and a special teen. But important worldbuilding information would have been better served in the narrative rather than in the preface, and some readers may find several comments about a character’s weight off-putting. Seb himself seems too powerful and too good to be true. But readers who overlook these missteps will find a captivating magical world with rich details that will hold their interest.

A compelling but uneven fantasy set in a magical school in the 22nd century.