Brace for impact readers, this YA thriller holds little back.
A group of teens gets trapped in the woods during a snowstorm in Ross’ YA thriller.
Sam is a senior at Seaside High. She and her brother Stuart, a sophomore, are driving with their friends in the Sierra Nevada mountain range of Northern California. They’re headed toward a cabin owned by the family of Gavin, Stuart’s best friend, for a ski weekend. Also in the SUV are Lily, Stuart’s girlfriend; Britney, Seaside’s most popular cheerleader; Hunter, an irrepressible flirt; and Champion the dog. When a snowstorm closes the main road, Hunter suggests a detour. Unfortunately, their vehicle swerves on black ice and lodges in a snow bank. With no cell service, the teens pray that a search party will find them before they run out of food and gas (to heat the truck). Complicating matters is the concussion Lily suffered in the crash. After a night’s sleep, she slips into a coma. In the cramped, stressful environment, the teens’ true selves emerge. Ross offers YA readers genuinely diverse characters, each of whom continues to grow throughout the narrative. Lily is Chinese, Hunter is African American, Britney is a devoted Christian, and Sam is vegetarian. Pop culture mavens will enjoy Stuart’s obsession with what might be lurking outside, like zombies, werewolves, or even ax murderers. As the teens learn, however, “The wilderness has transformed from a non-sentient place into...a stalking predator that lives and breathes and kills.” Before real tragedy strikes, the cast shares in-depth discussions on Black cowboys, fur farming, the value of religion, and much more. Ross is also unafraid to lean into controversial stereotypes—as when Lily says, “I’m not above eating dog”—only to later dismantle them. Sam and Gavin’s romantic backstory, elaborated in flashbacks, adds further emotional urgency to events. The dark finale allows just enough room for a sequel.
Brace for impact readers, this YA thriller holds little back.Pub Date: Oct. 26, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-68-463109-4
Page Count: 288
Publisher: Spark Press
Review Posted Online: June 14, 2021
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
A thoughtful and thrilling story of life, death, and meaning.
Two teens train to be society-sanctioned killers in an otherwise immortal world.
On post-mortal Earth, humans live long (if not particularly passionate) lives without fear of disease, aging, or accidents. Operating independently of the governing AI (called the Thunderhead since it evolved from the cloud), scythes rely on 10 commandments, quotas, and their own moral codes to glean the population. After challenging Hon. Scythe Faraday, 16-year-olds Rowan Damisch and Citra Terranova reluctantly become his apprentices. Subjected to killcraft training, exposed to numerous executions, and discouraged from becoming allies or lovers, the two find themselves engaged in a fatal competition but equally determined to fight corruption and cruelty. The vivid and often violent action unfolds slowly, anchored in complex worldbuilding and propelled by political machinations and existential musings. Scythes’ journal entries accompany Rowan’s and Citra’s dual and dueling narratives, revealing both personal struggles and societal problems. The futuristic post–2042 MidMerican world is both dystopia and utopia, free of fear, unexpected death, and blatant racism—multiracial main characters discuss their diverse ethnic percentages rather than purity—but also lacking creativity, emotion, and purpose. Elegant and elegiac, brooding but imbued with gallows humor, Shusterman’s dark tale thrusts realistic, likable teens into a surreal situation and raises deep philosophic questions.
A thoughtful and thrilling story of life, death, and meaning. (Science fiction. 14 & up)Pub Date: Nov. 29, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-4424-7242-6
Page Count: 448
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: July 25, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2016
A powerful tale of found family and first love.
After a year away, Ellis returns home to confront her past.
Graduating from high school far from everything familiar was not part of Ellis Truman’s original plans, but she nevertheless ended up spending her senior year with her aunt in California. In Indiana, Ellis practically grew up with the Albrey family and their three tightknit sons, Dixon, Tucker, and Easton. Now, Tucker wants her to return home for matriarch Sandry Albrey’s 50th birthday celebration on the Fourth of July—but Ellis is dreading seeing Easton, as they haven’t talked since she left. Chapters alternate between past and present, and much of the story unravels slowly: How did she come to live with the Albreys? What caused Ellis to then end up in San Diego? What happened in her relationship with Easton? Patient readers will find the heartfelt tension pays off. With her father in and out of jail and an absent mother, socio-economic differences separating Ellis from the middle-class Albreys don’t go unnoticed, and Ellis’ down-to-earth journey shows how she unpacks her feelings about her relationship with her parents. The slow-build romance is swoonworthy, and young adult fans of Colleen Hoover seeking emotional devastation and unforgettable characters will find much to enjoy here. Characters read as White.
A powerful tale of found family and first love. (Fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: May 10, 2022
ISBN: 978-0-06-308853-5
Page Count: 384
Publisher: HarperTeen
Review Posted Online: Jan. 10, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2022
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