Part The Westing Game, part We Were Liars, completely entertaining.
A teen must solve a multilayered puzzle to find out why she’s the recipient of a billionaire’s inheritance.
One day Avery—with her mother dead, her father missing for years, and her guardian half sister on the rebound with her abusive boyfriend—is living out of her car. The very next day she is on a plane to Hawthorne House, a mansion in Texas, where she discovers she’s the beneficiary of billionaire Tobias Hawthorne’s fortune. She must, however, abide by one condition: living for a full year with the snubbed Hawthorne family—a family that includes the billionaire’s four grandsons, young adult brothers who share a mother but have different fathers. This whirlwind story gains even more intensity when Avery learns that Hawthorne was a master of games and manipulation. To understand her role in the billionaire’s final game and why she’s the recipient of his inheritance, she must piece together clues left in his massive estate filled with hidden chambers. Short, snappy chapters supply nonstop momentum with red herrings, more family secrets, and even attempts on her life. To help her solve the riddles, Avery must turn to the Hawthorne brothers even if there’s some romantic interest at play—and even if they’re the ones who want her dead. The main characters are White; one brown-skinned Hawthorne brother describes himself as multiracial.
Part The Westing Game, part We Were Liars, completely entertaining. (Mystery. 14-18)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-368-05240-5
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: July 26, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2020
A chilling and engaging thriller.
A gamer is forced into the deadliest challenge she will ever engage in.
When the first anonymous message comes through her phone, Crystal thinks she is being trolled again, but she soon realizes that her sister has indeed been kidnapped and is being held hostage, while the person who took her forces Crystal into playing a game of increasingly bizarre and violent tasks with a 24-hour time limit. Even though she and her sister seem to be at the center of it all, Crystal’s best friends and esports teammates start to fall victim when her tormentor makes her choose between their lives and her sister’s. As the hours pass, Crystal uses her gaming instincts to discover who is behind it all and why she and her friends are being targeted. She must succeed before her sister dies—and her own secret is unveiled. Urban’s novel doesn’t pull punches as readers follow a thrilling cat-and-mouse game between Crystal and an anonymous figure. A few predictable twists don’t ruin the overall experience, as its strongest feature is Crystal’s rich and complex relationships with her violent, alcoholic father; her friends; and her sister and the ways they intertwine with her own past mistakes and the secrets she and her friends are keeping. Crystal is assumed White; there is some racial diversity in the supporting cast.
A chilling and engaging thriller. (Thriller. 14-18)Pub Date: Feb. 1, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-250-79719-3
Page Count: 416
Publisher: Wednesday Books
Review Posted Online: Nov. 15, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2021
Entertaining.
A tale of love and loss that spans the globe.
Instead of having a carefree summer, biracial (Korean/White) Anna is sent away from the familiarity of New York, her friends, the past school year’s scandal—and the memories of her dead boyfriend, Alexia Vronsky. While struggling with grief, her shattered self-image, and an uncertain future, Anna attempts to reclaim her summer in Seoul, where she knows only her father and grandmother. Beatrice, Alexia’s cousin, juggles her clingy girlfriend and falling for a California surfer even as she represses her grief. Meanwhile, Anna’s brother, Steven, plans for an amazing summer party, although Lolly, his girlfriend, is away at theater camp. Steven’s best friend, Dustin, and Kimmie, Lolly’s younger sister, are equally nervous about their first sexual experience together. This sequel to Anna K (2020) contains fewer mentions of luxury brands, and the characters exhibit an increased awareness of the impacts of wealth and socio-economic status. The novel also touches on issues of addiction, sexism, cultural differences, fame, relationships, love, and mental health; in particular, the portrayals of living with grief and redefining the self after a loved one dies shine. Despite some awkward time skips, the humor, pop-culture references, and characters’ distinct voices strengthen the story. Fans of the first novel will enjoy this follow-up, which is also accessible to readers new to Anna and her world. Some major characters are White; Dustin is Black and Jewish, and there is diversity in the supporting cast.
Entertaining. (cast of characters) (Fiction. 15-18)Pub Date: April 27, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-250-23646-3
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Flatiron Books
Review Posted Online: March 24, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2021
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