The novel’s Survivor-esque reality TV vibe and dark fairy-tale horror make for a grimly propulsive read.
A group of troubled teens in a wilderness reality TV show find themselves hunted by a malevolent force in Lovise’s novel.
Sixteen-year-old Georgie is less than thrilled to be shipped off with her older brother, Hamish, to star in their stepmother’s latest bid for fame: a survival reality TV show designed to monetize teen dysfunction. The show’s premise is that a group of high school delinquents will be dropped off in the middle of the woods for eight days. From the outset the set-up strains credulity in terms of the legality of leaving minors without food, water, or shelter in dangerous weather conditions, but this can be set aside in favor of the gripping plot that is kickstarted by the disappearance of the counselors. Although the cameramen initially claim they have nothing to do with it, they’re eventually pressured into revealing the teens have been purposefully abandoned as the first in a series of twists. A small contingent decides to split from the group try to catch up with the counselors, taking a cameraman and the satellite phone with them. Thus begins the slow dwindling of their numbers as the line between fabricated scares and actual peril blur. The survivors will have to work together to survive the horrors in store for them. Lovise excels in conjuring a mounting sense of dread through the misty, unsettling woods and a sinister presence just out of sight. The fairy tale elements are updated for the modern age in fun, interesting ways—a social media–obsessed evil stepmother, a trail of protein bread wrappers instead of crumbs, and an evil witch who punishes “bad” children in a creatively gruesome fashion. While the general adult negligence that permeates this novel almost borders on cartoonish, the characterization of the rest of the cast is more believable: with common archetypes like the spoiled rich kid and the mysterious bad boy Mack, who Georgie inevitably falls for. Her and Hamish’s close bond is a more compelling emotional anchor than a budding romance that seems out of place amidst all the blood and violence. Still, the novel is committed to its dark vision until the gory climax, dampened only slightly by an unnecessary twist, and ends on a satisfying note.
The novel’s Survivor-esque reality TV vibe and dark fairy-tale horror make for a grimly propulsive read.Pub Date: Aug. 4, 2026
ISBN: 9781649378774
Page Count: 368
Publisher: Entangled: Mayhem
Review Posted Online: July 15, 2026
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
An ode to the children of migrants who have been taken away.
A Mexican American boy takes on heavy responsibilities when his family is torn apart.
Mateo’s life is turned upside down the day U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents show up unsuccessfully seeking his Pa at his New York City bodega. The Garcias live in fear until the day both parents are picked up; his Pa is taken to jail and his Ma to a detention center. The adults around Mateo offer support to him and his 7-year-old sister, Sophie, however, he knows he is now responsible for caring for her and the bodega as well as trying to survive junior year—that is, if he wants to fulfill his dream to enter the drama program at the Tisch School of the Arts and become an actor. Mateo’s relationships with his friends Kimmie and Adam (a potential love interest) also suffer repercussions as he keeps his situation a secret. Kimmie is half Korean (her other half is unspecified) and Adam is Italian American; Mateo feels disconnected from them, less American, and with worries they can’t understand. He talks himself out of choosing a safer course of action, a decision that deepens the story. Mateo’s self-awareness and inner monologue at times make him seem older than 16, and, with significant turmoil in the main plot, some side elements feel underdeveloped. Aleman’s narrative joins the ranks of heart-wrenching stories of migrant families who have been separated.
An ode to the children of migrants who have been taken away. (Fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: May 4, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-7595-5605-8
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: Feb. 22, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2021
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
This grittily provocative debut explores the horrors of self-harm and the healing power of artistic expression.
After surviving a suicide attempt, a fragile teen isn't sure she can endure without cutting herself.
Seventeen-year-old Charlie Davis, a white girl living on the margins, thinks she has little reason to live: her father drowned himself; her bereft and abusive mother kicked her out; her best friend, Ellis, is nearly brain dead after cutting too deeply; and she's gone through unspeakable experiences living on the street. After spending time in treatment with other young women like her—who cut, burn, poke, and otherwise hurt themselves—Charlie is released and takes a bus from the Twin Cities to Tucson to be closer to Mikey, a boy she "like-likes" but who had pined for Ellis instead. But things don't go as planned in the Arizona desert, because sweet Mikey just wants to be friends. Feeling rejected, Charlie, an artist, is drawn into a destructive new relationship with her sexy older co-worker, a "semifamous" local musician who's obviously a junkie alcoholic. Through intense, diarylike chapters chronicling Charlie's journey, the author captures the brutal and heartbreaking way "girls who write their pain on their bodies" scar and mar themselves, either succumbing or surviving. Like most issue books, this is not an easy read, but it's poignant and transcendent as Charlie breaks more and more before piecing herself back together.
This grittily provocative debut explores the horrors of self-harm and the healing power of artistic expression. (author’s note) (Fiction. 14 & up)Pub Date: Aug. 30, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-101-93471-5
Page Count: 416
Publisher: Delacorte
Review Posted Online: May 3, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2016
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