Riveting adolescent melodrama powers this remarkable urban fantasy with series potential.
A Kentucky teen survives clinical death only to discover supernatural abilities and a startling history in Faye’s YA debut.
Sophomore Ember O’Neill hopes this high-school year will be better than the last. Sadly, she remains a social pariah who’s mercilessly mocked and bullied (“look at how she dresses. She’s like an old lady”). Ember has a few people on her side, like her loyal pal, Erick Grossman, and the new girl he’s befriended, Hallee Wilson. But that doesn’t stop a bully from pulling a prank that technically kills her—for 20 minutes—before paramedics revive her. She subsequently learns that the prescription pills she’s long been taking may have been stunting her abilities; Ember has superhuman strength and speed (and something even more astonishing). Clarification as to where her powers stem from may lie with Adam, the mysterious guy who keeps popping up in her dreams. Meanwhile, her social status gets a tweak as she stands up to her bullies with renewed vigor and catches the eye of more than one boy, including the just-transferred Logan Lauder. Faye aptly blends supernatural elements with the realities of adolescence as Ember struggles to adjust to her body’s changes. There are other relatable turns as well, from her possible pill addiction to her mother’s excessive drinking. As this is likely the start of a series, the story introduces numerous questions involving such things as an ancient order of assassins, visions of archangel Michael, and Ember’s family. Mostly, it’s a fully engaging teen drama—Ember juggles romantic possibilities, including an older guy, and, as an “outcast,” she is understandably wary of others. The snobs and bullies at school make great villains, while endearing companions such as Erick, Hallee, and her “oversized” dog, Bear, consistently and wholeheartedly alleviate the tension.
Riveting adolescent melodrama powers this remarkable urban fantasy with series potential.Pub Date: Feb. 26, 2024
ISBN: 9781509252480
Page Count: 414
Publisher: Wild Rose Press
Review Posted Online: March 1, 2024
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
In addition to the supernatural elements, Brosgol interweaves some savvy insights about the illusion of perfection and...
A deliciously creepy page-turning gem from first-time writer and illustrator Brosgol finds brooding teenager Anya trying to escape the past—both her own and the ghost haunting her.
Anya feels out of place at her preppy private school; embarrassed by her Russian heritage, she has worked hard to lose her accent and to look more like everyone else. After a particularly frustrating morning at the bus stop, Anya storms off, only to accidentally fall down a well. Down in the dark hole, she meets Emily, a ghost who claims to be a murder victim trapped down in the dank abyss for 90 years. With Emily’s help, Anya manages to escape, though once free, she learns that Emily has traveled out with her. At first, Emily seems like the perfect friend; however, once her motives become clear, Anya learns that “perfect” may only be an illusion. A moodily atmospheric spectrum of grays washes over the clean, tidy panels, setting a distinct stage before the first words appear. Brosgol’s tight storytelling invokes the chilling feeling of Neil Gaiman’s Coraline (2002), though for a decidedly older set.
In addition to the supernatural elements, Brosgol interweaves some savvy insights about the illusion of perfection and outward appearance. (Graphic supernatural fiction. 12 & up)Pub Date: June 7, 2011
ISBN: 978-1-59643-552-0
Page Count: 224
Publisher: First Second
Review Posted Online: April 18, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2011
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
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