A unique, well-characterized addition to the paranormal genre that celebrates West African culture.
When her best friend disappears, a teen must accept her ancestral powers to find her.
Addae Ewiem’s home is a special place, one she never wants to leave. Her ancestors and other families running from enslavers found the abandoned South Carolina island near present-day Hilton Head. They named it the Golden Isle for the fireflies who helped guide their journey, and there they maintained their cultures and traditions, which came from all over Africa. Their descendants—called the Kinfolk—are now led by Nana Ama, Ada’s grandmother. They keep to themselves, raising their children with the Adinkra—“centuries-old Akan symbols” offering guidance from the gods—and avoiding the mainland. When one of the Kin turns up on shore with his throat ripped out, and then Ada’s best friend and her boyfriend go missing, Ada ventures to the mainland to investigate. Her search leads to more secrets about the island and her ancestors than she ever could have imagined. Angoe’s YA debut seamlessly weaves Akan lore into the story, creating a foundation for strong character development. The inclusion of beings from West African mythology—from widely familiar Anansi to others that are less well known—enriches the story. The supernatural elements are well balanced with the complex family dynamics. The pacing for the most part is strong, revealing information in layers, but the ending feels rushed and a little too clean.
A unique, well-characterized addition to the paranormal genre that celebrates West African culture. (Paranormal. 14-18)Pub Date: March 3, 2026
ISBN: 9781250872685
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Review Posted Online: Dec. 12, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2026
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 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
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