Fast-paced and original but marred by a disjointed plot.
A teen races to find the culprit behind a series of deepfake murder videos.
Ten years ago, Ava’s Uncle Miles murdered three people—although one fought back, inflicting a fatal stab wound before he died. Ava struggles to reconcile the monster people believe her uncle to have been with the unconditionally loving man she knew. When a QR code for a quiz on the app Swipe to Die appears on school bulletin boards, Ava’s classmates can’t resist answering the questions. Soon after, videos appear that show students (who are alive and well) being brutally murdered. Ava is unsettled, while others brush them off as harmless—until victims end up really being killed in the same fashion as their “dead-fakes.” Ava believes the videos might be connected to Uncle Miles’ alleged killing spree, and with her best friends, she tries to find the person behind the app. The thrilling premise explores the dangers of AI, but the central storyline is weighed down by subplots that create a disjointed narrative. In addition to investigating the murders, Ava is intent on proving her uncle’s innocence, hopes to date someone who doesn’t know her family history, and navigates a changing relationship with a close friend who has a new boyfriend. Bleak Haven’s grisly past repeatedly arises with no real explanation. The end reveal is intriguing, but the culprit’s motives don’t hold up to scrutiny. Most characters present white.
Fast-paced and original but marred by a disjointed plot. (Horror. 14-18)Pub Date: Jan. 20, 2026
ISBN: 9781250372123
Page Count: 256
Publisher: Wednesday Books
Review Posted Online: Oct. 10, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2025
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
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