ALEX WISE VS. THE END OF THE WORLD

Twelve-year-old Alex Wise already knew this would be the worst summer ever—he just didn’t think it would also be his last.

When Mags, his little sister who shares his “dark brown eyes, chestnut skin, and full lips,” gets hurt while under his care, Alex’s mom sends them to their dad’s for the summer. This sucks for two reasons: Alex’s dad has a new family, and Alex is being haunted by Shadow Man, a presence he can’t shake. When Shadow Man abducts Mags, Alex is thrown into a chaotic journey to save his sister and the world, pitted against four murderous Horsemen set on starting an apocalypse. Along the way Alex gets possessed by Orin, a god who is asexual and nonbinary, and is joined in his fight by Loren, his queer BFF, and Liam, a mysterious, magical, teenage guardian. Benton-Walker presents Alex’s inner conflicts over being gay and feeling abandoned by people with such understanding, concern, and affirmation that it’s easy to root for him. However, because the story jumps around without clear transitions, readers rarely get chances to breathe and appreciate the thoughtful queer representation and predominantly Black cast. Even though the writing is compelling, the choppy chapters often build up to plot twists that make the story feel less cohesive instead of providing strong threads to follow through to the end.

A wild, roving, but disjointed ride to the end of the world and beyond.