A multilayered and well-told paranormal thriller with strong character and plot development.
A teenager investigates why so many residents in her Colorado town report alien abductions in this YA SF/romance novel.
For a small town, Dawson certainly has a high number of people attending Alien Abductees Anonymous meetings. They have similar stories: waking up unable to move in a bare, white room; sadistic poking and prodding; triangular-headed beings. Dutch Indonesian Cassidy Roekiem, a high school senior, is skeptical, but she’s had odd experiences like those of the support group, including losing two hours of her life and having flashbacks. As Cassidy makes contact with others who’ve had comparable flashbacks, she grows closer to handsome Hayden McGraw, who’s hiding his own link to aliens. Meanwhile, she’s looking into the so-called wellness resort Eden Estate, where her mother, Nina, has been staying since her research for a book on the 1985 vanishing of the president’s daughter, Jane Flanagan, turned into an obsession and breakdown. Alarmed by many red flags at Eden, Cassidy is determined to spring Nina by finding Flanagan herself. With the help of friends, Cassidy investigates the case—becoming embroiled in several dangerous secrets, including the connections among Eden Estate, Flanagan, and the CIA’s top-secret Parallax Human Intervention Unit. In her latest YA novel, Barneveld offers a cleverly constructed plot, letting readers in on much that Cassidy doesn’t know while still springing an unexpected development late in the tale that adds an intriguing complication. Cassidy’s an engaging character, tenacious, smart, and linguistically gifted; her facility in American Sign Language comes in handy. Also blending in well with the overall story is the romance between Cassidy and Hayden, which gains an extra dimension to the usual angst-y teen passion because of his secret life and its expectations.
A multilayered and well-told paranormal thriller with strong character and plot development.Pub Date: Aug. 10, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-68-281573-1
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Entangled Teen
Review Posted Online: Aug. 24, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2021
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
A compelling romance inhabited by complex and appealing characters.
When star hockey player Alec Barczewski’s estranged childhood friend, Dani Collins, moves to town, they end up in a mutually beneficial fake-dating relationship that reignites old feelings.
Following her parents’ divorce, Dani and her mom move in with Dani’s hockey legend grandfather in Southview, Minnesota, where she spent a month every summer as a child and where her friendship with Alec grew. Between visits, the two were pen pals, but they eventually fell out of touch. Despite some tensions over their loss of friendship, the high school seniors reconnect. Desperate to get off Harvard’s waitlist, Dani needs another extracurricular activity, while Alec—whose reputation took a hit when a photo of him holding a bong appeared on social media—is eager to improve his tarnished image for NHL scouts. The pair strike a deal: They’ll fake date, making Alec look like a stable guy whose academically gifted girlfriend is related to hockey royalty, and in exchange, he’ll get Dani a team manager position that will catch the eye of Harvard’s admissions officers. Eventually, complicated feelings about their past, stressful family relationships, and their brewing romance boil over. Romance fans will love the deliciously tension-filled scenes between Alec and Dani, who are believable friends with heavy demands weighing on them. They feel like real teenagers, and readers will enjoy rooting for them as the well-paced story unfolds. Main characters present white.
A compelling romance inhabited by complex and appealing characters. (Romance. 14-18)Pub Date: Sept. 30, 2025
ISBN: 9781665921268
Page Count: 448
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Aug. 2, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2025
SEEN & HEARD
A lackluster and sometimes disturbing mishmash of overused tropes.
The Plague has left a population divided between Elites and Ordinaries—those who have powers and those who don’t; now, an Ordinary teen fights for her life.
Paedyn Gray witnessed the king kill her father five years ago, and she’s been thieving and sleeping rough ever since, all while faking Psychic abilities. When she inadvertently saves the life of Prince Kai, she becomes embroiled in the Purging Trials, a competition to commemorate the sickness that killed most of the kingdom’s Ordinaries. Kai’s duties as the future Enforcer include eradicating any remaining Ordinaries, and these Trials are his chance to prove that he’s internalized his brutal training. But Kai can’t help but find Pae’s blue eyes, silver hair, and unabashed attitude enchanting. She likewise struggles to resist his stormy gray eyes, dark hair, and rakish behavior, even as they’re pitted against each other in the Trials and by the king himself. Scenes and concepts that are strongly reminiscent of the Hunger Games fall flat: They aren’t bolstered by the original’s heart or worldbuilding logic that would have justified a few extreme story elements. Illogical leaps and inconsistent characterizations abound, with lighthearted romantic interludes juxtaposed against genocide, child abuse, and sadism. These elements, which are not sufficiently addressed, combined with the use of ableist language, cannot be erased by any amount of romantic banter. Main characters are cued white; the supporting cast has some brown-skinned characters.
A lackluster and sometimes disturbing mishmash of overused tropes. (map) (Fantasy. 14-18)Pub Date: Nov. 7, 2023
ISBN: 9798987380406
Page Count: 538
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Sept. 9, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2023
© Copyright 2025 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
