CANDOR

Everyone is on-message in Candor, Fla. (a planned community not unlike Disney’s Celebration), and Oscar Banks’s father decides that message through mind-controlling music. For teenagers who have the money and the motivation to escape from Candor, Oscar offers his own rebellious subliminal messages. After falling in love with new arrival Nia, Oscar weighs his perfect persona against Nia’s survival, watching as she falls victim to Candor’s illusion of perfection. Bachorz’s premise causes a momentary chill: Given music’s ubiquitous presence today, readers can easily wonder if there’s a message lurking in every melody. A nicely paced plot keeps the narrative moving and successfully builds tension. However, Oscar’s attempts to rescue Nia quickly move from romantic to disturbing and seem to reinforce an unfortunately stereotypical and dated sense of romance: Women must be forcibly wooed by men who know better. Though his obsessive love rings true and the possibility exists that he moves beyond his damaging mindset, the author’s hand is all too evident. Despite the unsuccessful romantic element, overall it’s a well-reasoned, creepily possible first novel. (Science fiction. YA)