An emotionally rich, immersive narrative that unflinchingly explores power and the weight of wanting to be seen.
A high school cheerleading captain seeks to regain her throne—no matter the cost—after an addition to the squad threatens her influence.
Maris Larsen knows she’s going to die in her podunk hometown of West Eaton. College isn’t an option. Her mother’s depression has made her a ghost, and her situationship hookup, Nell, will be leaving after graduation without a second glance. The only thing that gets Maris out of bed is cheerleading—the physical catharsis of pushing her body to the limit. Students and adults alike treat Maris, who’s cued Black, as a troubled pariah, but cheerleading offers a refuge where she can feel free as her team’s idolized captain. When Genevieve Ray, who presents Black, moves to West Eaton and joins the squad, Maris’ standing is challenged. How can she reclaim her authority? Opportunity arrives one night while Maris is sleepwalking, in the form of Doe, an ancient creature resembling a deer. Unaware of the being’s origins and true intentions, Maris confides in it, sealing her path and Genevieve’s fate. Barrow’s novel in verse intriguingly blends supernatural lore with the cutthroat social politics of teenage girlhood. Evocative sections depict the hive mind of the team, and Doe’s perspective poetically captures the creature’s decades of loneliness and isolation. Maris’s strong characterization showcases a commonality with Doe: the ache for autonomy and control in a world eager to deliver pain and punishment.
An emotionally rich, immersive narrative that unflinchingly explores power and the weight of wanting to be seen. (Verse horror. 13-18)Pub Date: June 23, 2026
ISBN: 9798217006335
Page Count: 368
Publisher: Nancy Paulsen Books
Review Posted Online: March 23, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2026
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
A fresh, generous, wide-ranging compendium of frights.
Spooky stories covering multiple subgenres, plus some added attractions.
Few horrific tropes or creepy conventions are overlooked in Duplessie’s debut. The stories are arranged into six sections: “Short Frights for Dark Nights,” “Anatomical Anomalies,” “Five Minutes in the Future,” “Be Careful Who You Trust,” “The Dark Web,” and “The Unearthly, the Ghoulish, and the Downright Monstrous.” Some of the best entries are grounded in familiar setups, but Duplessie is careful to avoid repetition. The stories’ relatively short lengths and the crisp, direct writing style make this volume inviting for even reluctant readers, but it doesn’t shy away from the truly terrifying and grotesque. That said, the grisliest events are often described with poetic elegance rather than gratuitous violence: “His face collapsed like an empty paper bag.” The stories frequently conclude with the suggestion of frights to come rather than graphic depictions. One ends with an overly curious girl getting sealed up in a brick wall. Another foreshadows the murderous power of a cellphone. Highlights include the eerie “The Reaping,” in which the prick of a rose’s thorn triggers a spate of bloodlust, and “Chamber of Horrors,” which features a murderous iron maiden. Each story ends with a bonus in the form of a QR code and instructions to “scan the code for a scare”—if readers dare. Short, eerie poems are peppered throughout; there are even a handful of riddles. Most characters read white; names cue some ethnic diversity.
A fresh, generous, wide-ranging compendium of frights. (Horror. 13-18)Pub Date: Oct. 10, 2023
ISBN: 9780063266483
Page Count: 224
Publisher: Clarion/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Aug. 11, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2023
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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