A brisk, delightful whodunit with a sympathetic teen hero.
In this YA thriller, a North Carolina teenager realizes she’s the chief suspect in a fellow high schooler’s murder.
Charlotte Gray can’t explain why Bellany Silverfield hates her so much. The popular girl has detested Charlotte since they met in middle school. Regardless, Charlotte is there for Bellany’s 17th birthday party, as she’s good friends with her enemy’s twin brother, Bridger. That night, Charlotte picks up some juicy gossip—Bellany may be cheating on her boyfriend, Quentin. But when Charlotte tries to verify that tidbit, all she finds is Bellany’s body in the woods. Charlotte stays mum, as she’s got a motive and no alibi. Sure enough, it’s mere days before cops start looking at her as a potential killer (without revealing the manner of Bellany’s death). Charlotte starts her own list of suspects, from Quentin and a vengeful schoolmate to the unidentified “rude blonde girl” she first spotted at the party. Charlotte hopes to convince others that one of these people is the culprit, but it won’t be easy when someone is trying to frame her for murder. Leathers skillfully shrouds the story and the cast in mystery. For example, someone likely took Charlotte’s truck for a joyride during the party, and one person’s mother is a convicted killer (“She murdered her husband about fifteen years ago and just got out of prison last year”). Few of the characters are likable, as many seemingly turn on Charlotte, who’s an appealing amateur sleuth. But she does discover a romantic interest, which alleviates the narrative’s gloomy tone. The author’s straightforward prose offers pithy descriptions, making this short (under 130 pages) series opener a quick, easy read. The tale is also persistently edgy, as Charlotte gets anonymous, threatening texts and fears her arrest is imminent. Unfortunately, some curious subplots and gleefully dubious characters lead nowhere, as they’re simply red herrings. They nevertheless drive the story to a smashing, memorable ending.
A brisk, delightful whodunit with a sympathetic teen hero.Pub Date: Dec. 17, 2021
ISBN: 979-8479796661
Page Count: 209
Publisher: Self
Review Posted Online: April 28, 2022
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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
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
BOOK REVIEW
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