A slow buildup pays off with an explosive ending.
Gardner-Bahnsen School for Girls “prides itself on being different”—and that goes for both the students they admit and what they’re taught.
Unlike other elite boarding schools, Gardner’s curriculum incorporates survival skills such as archery, hunting, and butchering game. These lessons culminate in the annual Tierney Cup tournament, in which seven seniors compete for the coveted trophy through a series of wilderness tests. Wren “Max” Maxwell, a Black scholarship student with a troubled family background, dreams of winning the cup and proving herself in her new social circle. The competition is complicated by the presence of Nora McQueen, Max’s former best friend, a biracial (Black and white) girl whose confession of romantic feelings fractured their bond. Also competing is Theodora “Teddy” Swanson, a newly arrived Black girl with a checkered past. Tensions rise when Teddy begins dating Nora, intentionally provoking Max. As the contest unfolds, a hurtful secret comes to light with dangerous consequences. The story is told from the three girls’ revolving points of view. Teddy reveals that she feels a “black hole” within her that’s only satisfied by feeding off the chaos she creates; despite this explanation, her obsession with Max seems forced. The narrative invites readers to question the unhealthy dynamics among the girls at the school, who frequently belittle one another. The buildup to the denouement is long, but readers will be treated to a shocking ending. There’s racial diversity in the supporting cast.
A slow buildup pays off with an explosive ending. (Thriller. 14-18)Pub Date: June 17, 2025
ISBN: 9781665932301
Page Count: 416
Publisher: McElderry
Review Posted Online: April 4, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2025
BOOK REVIEW
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
A powerful story of family, belonging, and identity interlaced with thriller elements.
A wary teen wonders if she should run when people come looking for her.
Lucy Smith was raised by her white father, who said little about her mother. Following his death and her stepmother’s abandonment, Lucy entered the foster care system at 14. Her stepmother revealed that Lucy’s birth mom was Native American, but her social worker urged her to keep that quiet. Battered by her time in the foster care system, it’s no wonder that 18-year-old Lucy is cautious when she’s approached by a man who says he’s an attorney who helps Native American foster kids connect with their families and communities. He introduces her to a friend who reveals to Lucy that she knows her Ojibwe maternal relatives—but a wary Lucy refuses her offer to learn more. Someone is stalking her, after all, and the FBI is investigating the bomb that went off in the diner where she worked—an event she’s sure targeted her. This stand-alone from bestseller Boulley, who’s an enrolled member of the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians, includes characters her fans will recognize from previous works. The action scenes are mediated by ruminations on the failings of the foster care system and strong portrayals of Lucy’s relationship with her father and her complicated identity. Ardent book lover Lucy is a sympathetic narrator whose strong sense of justice is coupled with a deep acceptance of others.
A powerful story of family, belonging, and identity interlaced with thriller elements. (content warning, author’s note) (Thriller. 14-18)Pub Date: Sept. 2, 2025
ISBN: 9781250328533
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Henry Holt
Review Posted Online: May 30, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2025
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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