A fast-paced, fun fantasy for readers who enjoy their literary escapism powered by superheroes and villains.
Seibert’s second YA novel follows a 17-year-old Non-Super Regular Person who attempts to solve the mystery surrounding her mother’s death while maneuvering the pitfalls of high school.
After her mother died in a car crash three years earlier, Madeline Roberts’ life hasn’t exactly been idyllic. Living with her auto mechanic father, the teen’s daily existence revolves around swimming for her high school team (her older sister Arielle is the coach) and crushing on Golden Ace, Capital City’s most popular superhero—even though his suit is mustard-colored spandex! But when a new “Super” appears in the city—a black-clad mystery man named Dark Static, who may or may not be a villain—numerous revelations (and questions) upend Madeline’s world. Is the mayor, married to Madeline’s older sister, trying to kill her? Who’s Dark Static, and is he stalking Madeline or trying to help her? What does all of this have to do with Madeline’s mother’s death, which was ruled a tragic accident by the police? With the help of her best friend Kristen and a boy named Fox—whose parents died in the same crash that took Madeline’s mother’s life—the amateur sleuth begins investigating the massive conspiracy surrounding the car crash and begins a transformative journey of self-discovery. Action-packed, relentlessly paced, and featuring some impressively jaw-dropping plot twists, the story is an effortlessly readable. The only significant criticism is the missed opportunity when it comes to the lack of thematic depth and the absence of a deep examination of age-appropriate topics, specifically the exploration into sexual orientation. One main character’s queerness, for example, feels like an afterthought with only superficial analysis into family acceptance, peer prejudice, mental well-being, etc. Lastly, although the novel’s conclusion is perfectly fitting—and satisfying—the potential is certainly there for Seibert to return to Capital City for more escapades featuring Madeline and company.
A fast-paced, fun fantasy for readers who enjoy their literary escapism powered by superheroes and villains.Pub Date: Aug. 5, 2025
ISBN: 9798998824609
Page Count: 314
Publisher: Self
Review Posted Online: Oct. 9, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2025
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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
A powerful story of family, belonging, and identity interlaced with thriller elements.
A wary teen wonders if she should run when people come looking for her.
Lucy Smith was raised by her white father, who said little about her mother. Following his death and her stepmother’s abandonment, Lucy entered the foster care system at 14. Her stepmother revealed that Lucy’s birth mom was Native American, but her social worker urged her to keep that quiet. Battered by her time in the foster care system, it’s no wonder that 18-year-old Lucy is cautious when she’s approached by a man who says he’s an attorney who helps Native American foster kids connect with their families and communities. He introduces her to a friend who reveals to Lucy that she knows her Ojibwe maternal relatives—but a wary Lucy refuses her offer to learn more. Someone is stalking her, after all, and the FBI is investigating the bomb that went off in the diner where she worked—an event she’s sure targeted her. This stand-alone from bestseller Boulley, who’s an enrolled member of the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians, includes characters her fans will recognize from previous works. The action scenes are mediated by ruminations on the failings of the foster care system and strong portrayals of Lucy’s relationship with her father and her complicated identity. Ardent book lover Lucy is a sympathetic narrator whose strong sense of justice is coupled with a deep acceptance of others.
A powerful story of family, belonging, and identity interlaced with thriller elements. (content warning, author’s note) (Thriller. 14-18)Pub Date: Sept. 2, 2025
ISBN: 9781250328533
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Henry Holt
Review Posted Online: May 30, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2025
BOOK REVIEW
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