JAMES BLADE'S INSTINCTS

In Bloss’ YA novel, a teenage boy discovers his hidden power to transform into animal form—an ability that others share and that some would like to use for evil.

Sixteen-year-old James Blade lives an ordinary life with his mother in Timberwood, California. Despite the mysterious disappearance of his father 10 years ago, James is a typical high schooler who loves hanging out with his best friend Danny and is crushing on Katie, the daughter of the police detective who tried (and failed) to locate James’s dad. But everything changes when James arrives home from school one day to find a trio of hooded figures holding his mother at knifepoint and demanding that he give them “The Codex.” From there, James is whisked into a mystifying world in which it’s revealed that he’s part of a group of people who have “Instincts,” animal forms they can transform into at will—and so was his father. James can’t fully control his Instinct, however, until he conquers a spiritual trial called “the Reckoning” (which he hilariously keeps misnaming “The Rednecking”). Holed up at a safe house with others who share his gift, James learns that the hooded figures were in fact brainwashed members of a group known as “the Blood Pact.” They take orders from their leader “Lifeblood,” who wants to find the Codex that will allow them to identify anyone with an Instinct. Now James must train for battle and master his animal form in order to prevent the Codex from falling into the wrong hands—and maybe find out what really happened to his father all those years ago. With Danny and Katie by his side, he’ll have to enlist help from some surprising sources to succeed.

While the novel is certainly geared toward a YA audience—complete with all of the coming-of-age drama that having a 16-year-old protagonist entails—readers should be aware that there are some moments of graphic violence and harsh language. Bloss largely keeps the narrative and dialogue moving at a brisk pace, despite an apparent fondness for onomatopoeias that occasionally threatens to veer the action into comic-book territory: “At the base, the bracelets expand and twist into the palms of my closed hands. They form into handles, conforming perfectly to my grip. Suddenly, piercing knives shoot out of the bottom of my fist with a shing and curve into what look like fangs.” James himself is an immensely likeable protagonist, one whose shock at discovering his abilities feels endearingly believable (“Not that I’m complaining or anything, but how the hell am I alive?”). He must also cope with the fact that some of his fellow classmates are actively being brainwashed into the Blood Pact, which adds a compelling moral dilemma into the mix. The story concludes on a major cliffhanger that, while not likely to truly shock most readers, sets things up nicely for the next entry in the series. Bloss adroitly examines themes of friendship, family, and the hidden strength that lies within everyone, neatly wrapping it all up in a fun and adrenaline-fueled adventure.

A fast-paced thriller for readers who can’t get enough of cool superpowers and impressive baddies.