A worthy sequel to an imaginative new series.
This sequel to Insomnia (2013) takes readers further into the minds of the Night Walkers.
Parker spent the last book coping with his debilitating condition: He is a Watcher, meaning he enters the dreams of the last person in the day with whom he makes eye contact. Now Parker learns of people with related paranormal abilities: the Takers and the Builders. Although the Builders help repair Watchers’ sleep-deprived minds, the Takers literally absorb the minds of anyone they wish to take over, using their bodies up within only a few years, then moving on to other victims. Parker learns through Jack, his new mentor, that his long-absent father left to distract the Takers from his family and might still be alive. Jack knows where the Taker compound is located. Can Parker and his friends conquer the Takers, even while Parker’s best friend, Finn, has become their victim? Can Parker learn to control Darkness, his violent alter ego? Johansson plunges readers directly into this sequel, milking dream sequences—of both Parker and his friends—for suspense while also cultivating the misunderstandings that arise from Parker’s dilemma, especially when his girlfriend comes to believe him to be a liar. The final battle, while nicely tense, seems just a bit too easy for the level of danger involved, but readers should enjoy the adventure nonetheless.
A worthy sequel to an imaginative new series. (Paranormal suspense. 12-18)Pub Date: June 8, 2014
ISBN: 978-0-7387-4018-8
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Flux
Review Posted Online: April 8, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2014
A treat for mystery readers who enjoy being kept in suspense.
Everyone believes that Salil Singh killed his girlfriend, Andrea Bell, five years ago—except Pippa Fitz-Amobi.
Pip has known and liked Sal since childhood; he’d supported her when she was being bullied in middle school. For her senior capstone project, Pip researches the disappearance of former Fairview High student Andie, last seen on April 18, 2014, by her younger sister, Becca. The original investigation concluded with most of the evidence pointing to Sal, who was found dead in the woods, apparently by suicide. Andie’s body was never recovered, and Sal was assumed by most to be guilty of abduction and murder. Unable to ignore the gaps in the case, Pip sets out to prove Sal’s innocence, beginning with interviewing his younger brother, Ravi. With his help, Pip digs deeper, unveiling unsavory facts about Andie and the real reason Sal’s friends couldn’t provide him with an alibi. But someone is watching, and Pip may be in more danger than she realizes. Pip’s sleuthing is both impressive and accessible. Online articles about the case and interview transcripts are provided throughout, and Pip’s capstone logs offer insights into her thought processes as new evidence and suspects arise. Jackson’s debut is well-executed and surprises readers with a connective web of interesting characters and motives. Pip and Andie are white, and Sal is of Indian descent.
A treat for mystery readers who enjoy being kept in suspense. (Mystery. 14-18)Pub Date: Feb. 4, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-9848-9636-0
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Delacorte
Review Posted Online: Oct. 27, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2019
Another engaging entry in this world of spies and international intrigue.
Pop superstar Winter Young is again drawn into the world of secret agent Sydney Cossette in this follow-up to Stars and Smoke (2023).
Though constantly on one another’s minds, Winter and Sydney have resisted making any contact with each other since narrowly surviving a mission in which Panacea, the secret organization Sydney works for, tapped Winter to use his megastar status to infiltrate a wealthy and powerful criminal underworld. Ratcheting up the tension in this enemies-to-lovers romantic thriller is the fact that Sydney is being sent to Singapore to extract Tems, a fellow agent who also happens to be her ex. Winter, who needs a plus-one for a Warcross Championship gala in order to better maintain his cover, invites his former girlfriend. Witty insults and crossed signals abound in the pair’s smoldering relationship, but this second installment is a bit darker than the first. If some of the betrayals and losses involved are easy enough to spot coming, they still pack an emotional punch due to the strong development of Winter’s and Sydney’s respective backstories, told in alternating third-person narratives, both involving abuse and psychological pain. Winter is Chinese American; Sydney is white, and there’s a diverse cast of supporting characters whom readers will likely see again—Lu has left the ending tantalizingly open for another installment.
Another engaging entry in this world of spies and international intrigue. (Thriller. 14-18)Pub Date: June 11, 2024
ISBN: 9781250852915
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Roaring Brook Press
Review Posted Online: March 23, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2024
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