A remarkable cast enhances this clever, disquieting psychological tale.
In this debut YA thriller, a teen’s darker side surfaces as she suffers under a hateful, abusive father.
Things are looking up for Jessie Taylor, at least at her Stanton, Ohio, school. She walks the same halls as her supportive older brother, Brian, and catches the attention of his blue-eyed football teammate Alex Corbin. But her household presents a far grimmer picture. The siblings’ perpetually drunk father verbally and physically assaults Jessie and Brian as well as their mom, who seems incapable of helping her children. The unrelenting stress weighs on Jessie the most, and she starts getting headaches and forgetting things. Soon “the other” emerges—a stronger personality who handles threats against Jessie with assertiveness and occasionally violence. The siblings panic when the school counselor sees that something is wrong, as a phone call home will surely end with their dad’s fulfilling his promise to kill Jessie for talking about their “family problems.” Brian sees signs of Jessie’s other, though his sister is oblivious. He knows that the other’s disturbing methods won’t likely have a healthy resolution. In this series opener, Werner’s multidimensional characters shine, as even the abusive father seems more complex than an outright villain. Likewise, supporting characters, such as Brian’s girlfriend and several of Jessie’s classmates, stand out. The author masterfully weaves such topical issues as alcoholism and toxic masculinity into the plot; the latter, for example, isn’t always a person’s conspicuous trait that others instantly recognize. Though chapter headings designate the oft-changing narrative voices, the crisp prose gives them unmistakable distinction. It’s clear when Jessie’s other comes out during the narration. Most of the turns in the story’s second half are predictable, like Jessie’s visit to a fortuneteller. They’re nevertheless unnerving, as tension slowly and effectively builds, leading to a denouement that perfectly sets up the sequel.
A remarkable cast enhances this clever, disquieting psychological tale.Pub Date: June 30, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-73300-621-7
Page Count: 264
Publisher: Hunter & Woodhaven Publishing, LLC
Review Posted Online: Sept. 13, 2022
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
A high-concept premise that falls short in its execution.
A teenage girl finds herself alone after everyone else in her town mysteriously disappears, leaving her scrambling to figure out how to find them all.
One late summer day, everybody in July Fielding’s town disappears. She is left to piece together what happened, following a series of cryptic signs she finds around town urging her to “GET THEM BACK.” The narrative moves back and forth between July’s present and the events of the summer before, when her relationship with her best friend, cross-country team co-captain Sydney, starts to fracture due to a combination of jealousy over July’s new relationship with a cute boy called Sam and sweet up-and-coming freshman Ella’s threatening to overtake Syd’s status as star of the track team. The team members participate in a ritual in which they jump off a cliff into the rocky waters below at the end of their Friday practice runs. Though Ella is reluctant, Syd pressures her to jump. Short, frenetically paced sections move the story along quickly, and there is much foreshadowing pointing to something terrible that occurred at the end of that summer, which may be the key to July’s current predicament, but there is much misdirection too. Ultimately this is a story without enough setup to make the turn the book takes in the end feel fully developed or earned. All characters read white.
A high-concept premise that falls short in its execution. (Fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: Sept. 19, 2023
ISBN: 9780593327173
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Dutton
Review Posted Online: July 27, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2023
Breathtakingly complex and intriguing.
When someone murders the renowned founder of an oppressively rigorous Washington, D.C., school, three students—all boys of color—emerge as prime suspects.
The police haul in a trio of Urban Promise Prep students, two Black and one Salvadoran, for questioning following the murder of Principal Kenneth Moore. For J.B. Williamson, Urban Promise’s strict rules and regulations are suffocating, but his luck seems to turn when he finally makes a tentative move forward with his crush. Jokester Trey Jackson, meanwhile, does his best to ensure his place in the big basketball game, and no one—not even his tough-as-nails Uncle T—can stop him. Ramón Zambrano dreams of one day owning a restaurant. In the meantime, he gets by hustling pupusas at school and refusing to succumb to pressure from his beloved cousin César, the feared leader of the Dioses del Humo gang. At Urban Promise, one false move can cost a college-bound future. Unfortunately, all three boys engaged in public spats with Principal Moore before his death; to clear their names, they must investigate and uncover the killer’s identity. In a masterful use of multiple points of view from both the main protagonists and secondary characters, Brooks weaves a tale of intrigue, doubt, and hearsay with ease, doling out crucial tidbits and clues. Each gradual reveal prods readers to reconsider and reassess. Featuring a sharp examination of systemic inequality in urban schools and Black and Latine boyhood, this novel delivers in spades.
Breathtakingly complex and intriguing. (Mystery. 14-18)Pub Date: Jan. 31, 2023
ISBN: 978-1-250-86697-4
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Henry Holt
Review Posted Online: Nov. 15, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2022
BOOK REVIEW
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