A sympathetic protagonist combines with intriguing medical possibility for a solid thriller.
A shy girl grabs an opportunity to change her personality with an illegal genetic transformation.
Aislyn can barely manage to speak in public, she’s so shy. She can’t bring herself even to let Jack, her secret heartthrob, know she likes him. Her shyness cripples her life. When she loses a scholarship she should have won because she cannot make a simple presentation, she despairs. She’s good at science and works with a brilliant scientist at a laboratory researching genetic modifications to treat diseases, such as the cystic fibrosis her brother, Sammy, has. When Dr. Sternfield offers her Charisma, an experimental gene modification meant to boost confidence, Aislyn agrees. The treatment works. Aislyn begins a real relationship with Jack and finds herself interacting with others easily, even boldly. However, she soon realizes that she isn’t the only person who has taken the secret treatment, which uses a virus to carry the modified genes. When others become sick and fall into comas, and some die, the scandal hits the news—and Dr. Sternfield goes missing. Meanwhile, Aislyn’s mother, fearing gene therapy, keeps Sammy out of a promising gene treatment for cystic fibrosis that could save the boy’s life. Ryan presents a portrait of a public response to an epidemic that is especially resonant given recent panics. Suspense balances with discussions of bioethics for a provocative and entertaining read.
A sympathetic protagonist combines with intriguing medical possibility for a solid thriller. (Science fiction. 12-18)Pub Date: March 3, 2015
ISBN: 978-0-8037-3966-6
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Dial Books
Review Posted Online: Dec. 5, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2014
BOOK REVIEW
This astonishing book will generate much-needed discussion.
After 15-year-old Will sees his older brother, Shawn, gunned down on the streets, he sets out to do the expected: the rules dictate no crying, no snitching, and revenge.
Though the African-American teen has never held one, Will leaves his apartment with his brother’s gun tucked in his waistband. As he travels down on the elevator, the door opens on certain floors, and Will is confronted with a different figure from his past, each a victim of gun violence, each important in his life. They also force Will to face the questions he has about his plan. As each “ghost” speaks, Will realizes how much of his own story has been unknown to him and how intricately woven they are. Told in free-verse poems, this is a raw, powerful, and emotional depiction of urban violence. The structure of the novel heightens the tension, as each stop of the elevator brings a new challenge until the narrative arrives at its taut, ambiguous ending. There is considerable symbolism, including the 15 bullets in the gun and the way the elevator rules parallel street rules. Reynolds masterfully weaves in textured glimpses of the supporting characters. Throughout, readers get a vivid picture of Will and the people in his life, all trying to cope with the circumstances of their environment while expressing the love, uncertainty, and hope that all humans share.
This astonishing book will generate much-needed discussion. (Verse fiction. 12-adult)Pub Date: Oct. 17, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-4814-3825-4
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Caitlyn Dlouhy/Atheneum
Review Posted Online: July 1, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2017
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A heavy read about the harsh realities of tragedy and their effects on those left behind.
In this companion novel to 2013’s If He Had Been With Me, three characters tell their sides of the story.
Finn’s narrative starts three days before his death. He explores the progress of his unrequited love for best friend Autumn up until the day he finally expresses his feelings. Finn’s story ends with his tragic death, which leaves his close friends devastated, unmoored, and uncertain how to go on. Jack’s section follows, offering a heartbreaking look at what it’s like to live with grief. Jack works to overcome the anger he feels toward Sylvie, the girlfriend Finn was breaking up with when he died, and Autumn, the girl he was preparing to build his life around (but whom Jack believed wasn’t good enough for Finn). But when Jack sees how Autumn’s grief matches his own, it changes their understanding of one another. Autumn’s chapters trace her life without Finn as readers follow her struggles with mental health and balancing love and loss. Those who have read the earlier book will better connect with and feel for these characters, particularly since they’ll have a more well-rounded impression of Finn. The pain and anger is well written, and the novel highlights the most troublesome aspects of young adulthood: overconfidence sprinkled with heavy insecurities, fear-fueled decisions, bad communication, and brash judgments. Characters are cued white.
A heavy read about the harsh realities of tragedy and their effects on those left behind. (author’s note, content warning) (Fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: Feb. 6, 2024
ISBN: 9781728276229
Page Count: 416
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Review Posted Online: Jan. 5, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
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