Convincing characters drive this understated but absorbing paranormal thriller.
A California teenage psychic faces an unseen menace among his fellow high-schoolers in Lafferty’s YA thriller, one in a series.
Ben Wolf has already made friends during his first summer at Windward Cove on the northern coast of California, where he and his mother inherited his late aunt’s house. But he’ll be mingling with all sorts of people in his sophomore year at Silver Creek High—like bullies, hotheaded jocks, and aloof peers. It’s not all bad, as he can always rely on his summer pals, Ab Chambers and Les Hawkins, and he grows closer to softhearted cheerleader Kelly Thatcher. A string of “freak occurrences,” including a disturbing bird attack, ensnares several of the Silver Creek students. Ben, whose clairvoyant abilities aren’t as strong as he wishes they were (“maybe I just sucked at the whole psychic thing. Sensing and watching was the best I could manage”), perceives someone’s unquestionable satisfaction when these occurrences end in injuries. He doesn’t know exactly who it is, but he has a suspect whose family history he and paranormal fanatic Ab delve into. Time is of the essence as these “accidents” soon escalate in intensity and threaten to target Ben and his friends. Lafferty excels at depicting a teen drama: The young cast is an eclectic bunch, some charming, some obnoxious, with many sporting vibrant personalities. As Ben gets to know other students at gatherings like the homecoming dance and post-football get-togethers, a malevolence slowly creeps into the plot. There are narrative stretches of uneventful scenes (including the first-semester holidays), and Ben’s general lack of worry (he doesn’t do much investigating) results in waning suspense. It’s in the latter half of the novel that the story really takes off, with a few shocking turns and sequences depicting Ben struggling to use his psychic ability to optimal effect. While Ben’s confident narration smoothly carries readers through the story, the best scenes center on individuals in peril as the narrative takes on a third-person perspective that feels like a brooding, evil presence.
Convincing characters drive this understated but absorbing paranormal thriller.Pub Date: Dec. 20, 2023
ISBN: 9798350926514
Page Count: 436
Publisher: BookBaby
Review Posted Online: Dec. 22, 2023
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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 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
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