A supernatural pandemic thriller with appeal for genre fans.
Teens face the bloody consequences of a pandemic.
High school senior Heidi’s privileged life is upended when a burglary leaves her wounded, infected with lupinovirus, and trying to evade the militaristic Viral Containment Task Force, all while hiding the truth from everyone she knows. Her behavior sparks a rivalry between Luca, her popular but controlling boyfriend, and Cam, a former classmate who’s also infected. To contain the virus, people are subjected to saliva testing, lockdowns, and invasive VCTF raids. Heidi and Cam team up to search for a rumored cure—but they only have until the next full moon, that very evening, to find it. When a VCTF officer is killed, his rookie partner, Erik, who suspects Heidi and Cam, starts an investigation to track them down. Accompanied by Cam, Heidi ends up far beyond her gated community, in the heart of underground werewolf headquarters. As the hours pass, Heidi, who’s unsure what it will take to change people’s perceptions of the disease, learns more about herself and the secret movement. O’Donnell’s worldbuilding provides escapist fun, and the main characters fall neatly into classic horror story roles. The chapters shift in focus among the characters, leading to changes in style and pace that occasionally affect the flow but also offer relief from an otherwise propulsive plot. The paranormal take on disease transmission and public health may intrigue readers who are processing their own Covid-19 experiences. Main characters present white.
A supernatural pandemic thriller with appeal for genre fans. (Horror. 14-18)Pub Date: Sept. 23, 2025
ISBN: 9781250353092
Page Count: 352
Publisher: Wednesday Books
Review Posted Online: Aug. 16, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 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 brilliant novel with characters that linger long after the screams fade.
A brooding manor house hides more than family secrets in Cañas’ YA debut.
Minerva Treviño is accustomed to hardship—after all, she’s grown up in an impoverished part of the Capital with many siblings, a resentful stepmother, and an abusive father who mines chispa, the mysterious sparks of energy that power the city. A chance to escape appears when Minerva answers an ad for a lady’s maid. Soon, she becomes the sole companion to Encarnación del Valle, an aging socialite with connections to the recently deposed Viceroy’s family. Political unrest has consumed the unnamed Latin American country ever since Valbuenista guerrillas seized power, only for the newly installed president to be assassinated in a coup. Hoping to flee the chaos of the Capital, Minerva and her employer retreat to the family’s remote manor, la Casa de las Gardenias, that lies deep within the mountainous jungle. The looming house fills Minerva with unease. Strange occurrences, hostile servants, and sinister residents convince her that something far darker lurks within its walls. The atmospheric worldbuilding and steadily mounting tension create a delicious genre-blended mix of gothic horror, historical fantasy, and anti-colonial fiction. The complex characters and a propulsive plot will keep readers riveted through the feverish climax. Minerva, who is “mixed-blood” with Indigenous ancestry, is a compelling and relatable teen hero who struggles with self-confidence.
A brilliant novel with characters that linger long after the screams fade. (Paranormal. 14-18)Pub Date: Sept. 29, 2026
ISBN: 9780593620410
Page Count: 288
Publisher: Dutton
Review Posted Online: June 15, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2026
BOOK REVIEW
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