Hits the right buttons for mystery and paranormal lovers.
In this sequel to 2012’s Slide, Vee suspects that someone is sliding into her own mind, instead of the other way around.
Vee has the ability to “slide” into other people’s minds and take over their speech and actions. However, she has been having blackouts herself, some leading to near-fatal consequences. Vee and former best friend Samantha patch things up after Samantha learns that Scotch, the boy who menaced Vee in the earlier book, has been spreading rumors about her, and they concoct a plan to retaliate. Everything goes wrong when Scotch falls off a cliff after yet another blackout. Vee doesn’t know how Scotch fell, and the girls must hide their involvement in the incident. After a murder occurs, matters become even more serious, and Vee doesn’t know whom to trust. Even as all this plays out, Vee realizes she wants to get romantic with friend Rollins, who doesn’t seem to reciprocate, and Vee’s long-lost aunt shows up and seems to be taking her mother’s place in their home. Vee’s on-again, off-again romance with Rollins adds some spice and uncertainty, but the major story here surrounds the mystery of who is sliding into Vee. Suspects abound. Hathaway manages to juggle a lot: Family matters, friendship and romance mix with the paranormal elements and the mystery.
Hits the right buttons for mystery and paranormal lovers. (Paranormal mystery. 12 & up)Pub Date: March 26, 2013
ISBN: 978-0-06-207798-1
Page Count: 272
Publisher: Balzer + Bray/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Dec. 11, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2013
BOOK REVIEW
A suspenseful story that starts off with great promise but fails to deliver.
A teenage girl struggles with the question of whom to trust in the age of social media exposure.
Thanks to Connie’s mom’s family vlog, her life is anything but private. She enjoyed it at first, but now, between the mean comments online and the cruel mockery from peers in real life, Connie feels like she’s in a prison. Her sister, Isla, says it’s worth it for the money, but Connie isn’t sure if that’s really true. Connie’s anger over Mom’s refusal to heed warnings that revealing so much puts them in danger continues to build. When she’s left alone for two weeks while Mom and Isla go on a college road trip, local girls start dying, and a fan reaches out on social media in an unsettling way, leaving Connie worried about her safety. White-presenting Connie’s sense of humor is charming, and her insights will earn readers’ sympathy as the tension builds. As emotions rise, Preston’s poetic language beautifully captures Connie’s feelings about her mom’s obsession with social media and her confusion about who is worthy of her trust. The topics of safety and the uncharted waters of social media are skillfully woven into the plot. However, some inconsistencies weaken the overall story: Apart from Connie, the characters are too lightly developed, and some plot points don’t align with earlier events and motivations, making the ultimate revelation a disappointment.
A suspenseful story that starts off with great promise but fails to deliver. (Thriller. 12-18)Pub Date: Dec. 2, 2025
ISBN: 9798217028009
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Delacorte
Review Posted Online: Nov. 22, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2026
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
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