It’s clear someone has to die, but just who it will be keeps readers wondering to the very end. (Thriller. 15 & up)
“The brochure said nothing about angst-filled dorms or psychic roommates.”
Instead of going to local UCLA, 17-year-old Sarah is spending the next four years at Wetherly, a fictional all-women’s college in New England, all because her Nana caught her having sex with the most popular guy at her high school. Constantly substituting sex for love (so she doesn’t end up miserable, like her absent parents), without female friends, slightly depressed and definitely insecure, she’s the perfect victim. In this edgy debut thriller, the first-year student’s not sure why she’s drawn to her beautiful, narcissistic orphan roommate, Maddy, and Maddy’s wealthy, enabling best friend, Agnes, but suddenly she’s sharing an off-campus house and an injured deer (which readers won’t know whether to laugh or cringe at) with them. And she’s not sure why she stays even after she realizes that Maddy is a pathological liar, that equally manipulative Agnes is trying to pretend she’s not in love with Maddy and that she’s caught between the two housemates vying for each other’s attention. It’s a constant who’s manipulating whom, with secrets, sexual tension and a Gypsy’s deadly prediction always at the forefront, as the story’s slow burn finally explodes. It's all given immediacy and subtle sarcasm through Sarah’s first-person narration, which will have readers second-guessing throughout.
It’s clear someone has to die, but just who it will be keeps readers wondering to the very end. (Thriller. 15 & up)Pub Date: June 21, 2011
ISBN: 978-1-59990-628-7
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Review Posted Online: May 3, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2011
A deep dive into trauma, with light at the end of the tunnel.
A teen’s sense of self is unsettled by a kidnapping.
After a prologue reveals the hero’s captive status, the story introduces Sayers Wayte as he was before—an uber-wealthy, hard-partying, privilege-flaunting Texas teen who’s falling in with a meaner crowd (including a friendship with a bully who ridicules Sayers’ best friend for his bisexuality and targets a vulnerable nerd in encounters that rapidly escalate to disturbing levels off-page). The first act balances Sayers’ charm and potential with his character failings while keeping readers guessing who the kidnapper will be (and what their motivations are). Once he’s been kidnapped, Sayers must attempt to manipulate his kidnapper by playing along with who the kidnapper wants him to be—at first, it’s a ruse to create chances to try to escape, but eventually Sayers’ identity and feelings toward his kidnapper begin to blur. A dangerous discovery pushes his mind to the brink to protect him and keep him alive. Unlike hostage stories that end with the rescue, Roe digs deep into what happens in the aftermath as Sayers tries to learn how to be a functioning individual again and struggles with rebuilding his entire self. There are no easy answers for Sayers’ issues, but with determination and help from key friends, he finds hope. Aside from a character with a Guatemalan father, most characters default to White.
A deep dive into trauma, with light at the end of the tunnel. (Thriller. 15-18)Pub Date: Oct. 11, 2022
ISBN: 978-0-06-305173-7
Page Count: 512
Publisher: HarperTeen
Review Posted Online: July 26, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2022
BOOK REVIEW
A thrilling fantasy series opener.
Gem, a transmasc teen in a small Southern town, finds it increasingly difficult to discern between nightmare and reality when a new girl comes to town and informs Gem that they’re a god.
Following a difficult divorce, Gem and their mother moved to Gracie, Georgia, their mom’s hometown, which is also closer to their ancestral Seminole lands. It’s been four years, but Gem feels alone and dreams of moving to Brooklyn, where their best friend, Enzo, a Native trans boy with a thriving queer social life, lives. Gem and Enzo talk regularly, but Gem has never mentioned the vivid nightmares—full of “blood and gore and magic and sex demons”—that have haunted them since childhood. So when beautiful new classmate Willa Mae saves Gem’s life and claims that the two of them are gods and soulmates, Gem’s mom begins to question whether Gem is hallucinating like their father did. But taking their meds is not a top priority for Gem right now: They have to find a magic knife and stave off the demons that are threatening their life while figuring out what to do about loving two people at the same time. Fast-paced and engaging, the novel addresses queer identity, mental health, and belonging to and disconnection from one’s land and language, while weaving a vivid magic realm with its own logic.
A thrilling fantasy series opener. (map) (Fantasy. 15-18)Pub Date: Nov. 28, 2023
ISBN: 9781250853615
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Wednesday Books
Review Posted Online: Sept. 9, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2023
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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