Perfect for anyone looking for humor with a side of death.
Eighteen-year-old Adri spends her days bouncing between school and working at her family’s diner.
Her Peruvian immigrant parents have sacrificed to send her to one of Atlanta’s top private schools, so the pressure is on to do well. Meanwhile, the Solstice Festival is going to be the music festival of the century: The lush Caribbean island setting and hobnobbing with the 1% while listening to hit acts justify the $10,000 price tag. Out of the blue, Adri’s BFF announces big news: Elena’s father has bought tickets for both the girls to attend Solstice. There is just one hurdle—Adri’s parents. They refuse permission, but she goes anyway and texts them from the plane. After that it all starts to go downhill. Myla Island is beautiful but has no cell reception, the promised limos are not there to take them to the venue, and when they do arrive, nothing is ready—no tents, only one food truck, and forget toilets. But all that fades away once the first dead body shows up. Part teen drama, part horror story, this is a delightful novel that readers will want to finish in one sitting. The quirky, campy tone along with off-page violence that is never gratuitous or grotesque make it an appealing choice for younger teens and reluctant readers. Adri's observations of socio-economic differences between entitled festival-goers and Myla locals add depth.
Perfect for anyone looking for humor with a side of death. (Horror. 13-18)Pub Date: Feb. 18, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-250-21989-3
Page Count: 288
Publisher: Imprint
Review Posted Online: Nov. 18, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2019
A gripping tribute to resilience.
A girl with amnesia and a boy suspected of harming his girlfriend overcome adversity to find the answers they seek.
A 17-year-old girl wakes up in a ditch, disoriented and with no memory of who she is or what happened. Found by the Alton, Oregon, police, she is brought to the station. Soon after, Wayne Boone, a man claiming to be her father, shows up. He has photos of her on his phone and her high school ID card, with the name Mary Boone. Wayne convinces the police to release Mary into his custody. The more time Mary spends with Wayne, however, the weirder things get: He’s unaware of her food allergy, and as her memories start to return, they don’t conform with Wayne’s versions of her life. In the town of Washington City, across the Willamette River, Drew is in a bad place. His girlfriend, Lola, has disappeared, and Drew was the last person to see her. His adoptive dads and cousin are the only ones who support him; everyone else, including the sheriff, thinks he’s responsible for Lola’s disappearance. Intent on finding Lola, Drew finds help in an unlikely ally, Lola’s best friend, Autumn, who is the sheriff’s daughter. But will they find Lola in time? The two immersive storylines bring to life the trials and frustrations each main character faces in this debut, which is a thrilling delight right up to the unexpected and bittersweet conclusion. Most characters are cued white; one of Drew’s dads is Guatemalan.
A gripping tribute to resilience. (Thriller. 14-18)Pub Date: Dec. 26, 2023
ISBN: 9781728270111
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Review Posted Online: Sept. 23, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2023
BOOK REVIEW
A fun, twisty mystery with deep undertones.
At a school for both human and paranormal teens, a human starts displaying clairvoyant abilities.
Cam and his best friend, Al, are finally at the same school again for sophomore year. Despite his mom’s disapproval of Cam’s interest in all things paranormal, Cam’s loyalty to Al, who’s a brown-skinned nonbinary witch, is steadfast. Cam also has a crush on werewolf Mateo, who’s cued Latine. But when Cam, who presents white, has a terrifying vision of a stabbed woman, he’s no longer a human on the periphery of paranormal society—he’s the first clairvoyant in the area in a century. Suddenly, a local psychic guild and a coven are courting him like he’s a star athlete choosing a college. As Cam explores the possibilities, he befriends members of each organization in a sweet chosen family arc. But can his friends help him figure out the details from his first vision and prevent a murder? In this universe, queerness is accepted without question. Instead, anti-paranormality acts as a metaphor for homophobia, manifesting as forced outing, systemic oppression of paranormal people, and even conversion therapy. The novel also explores the problematic nature of stereotyping by humans, who label werewolves aggressive, sprites mean-spirited, psychics detached, and witches immoral.
A fun, twisty mystery with deep undertones. (Paranormal mystery. 14-18)Pub Date: April 29, 2025
ISBN: 9781665950947
Page Count: 368
Publisher: McElderry
Review Posted Online: Feb. 15, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2025
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