FLICKERSTATE

A fiercely independent teen races against time to discover a hidden cure and change fate.

Headstrong senior Norah Sullivan is accepted into the elite Academy of Navigation, where students learn how to enter flickerstate, the place “where the future comes from. The space between nothingness and the real.” The 17-year-old plans to find a cure for the flickerbeast bite on her bicep that she’s hiding from everyone—and the multiple bites her father suffered the day her rare gift manifested. Flickerbeasts feed on futures, increasing the likelihood of victims’ premature deaths. As Dad’s time runs out, Norah trains with her roommates, Candace Yang and Bree Allen, to win an Archive assistantship and access to information that might provide a solution. Desperate for any edge in the competition, white-presenting Norah asks her frustratingly handsome school-assigned mentor, Vikram Souza, who reads South Asian, to help her experiment with an unorthodox navigation technique. They grow closer—and more powerful—during early morning training sessions. But Norah’s fear of endangering others and revealing her bite makes it hard for her to let anyone in, including Vikram; her fallibility makes her an appealingly well-rounded protagonist. The inventive premise of flickerstate, a new and creative type of fantasy-world power, becomes increasingly clear as the plot unfolds. This singular work includes an enjoyable enemies-to-lovers romance and dynamic characters who explore morally gray areas.

Full of originality, this high-stakes fantasy with complex characters is a memorable read.