A thoroughly absorbing plot makes this an exceptional paranormal sequel.
A teenager with supernatural abilities uncovers secrets and threats at a Scotland school in this second installment of a YA paranormal series.
Having discovered a secret society at The Murray School, Phoebe Douse may know too much. She tries fleeing Britain for her Texas home, but she finds herself the target of rogue members of the society, called S3A2. She manages to stay alive with assistance from her clairvoyance, a couple of schoolmates, and the Fadrix, a mysterious orb that communicates with her via helpful but somewhat cryptic advice. She and her friend Renaud Bertrand ultimately deem it safest to head back to the school. Things are quiet for a spell until a menace whom Phoebe faced before becomes a threat once again, notwithstanding his imprisonment. Meanwhile, a missing student returns with nary an explanation and, surprisingly, hinders the romantic feelings Phoebe may be harboring for Renaud. Phoebe already knows that her cherished grandmother Naan had a strong tie to S3A2. But the teen fears that an unexpected familial connection could put her or her friends in further danger. As this story starts right after the events of the first installment, the opening is exhilarating. Strangers are after Phoebe, who summons a coded message, leading to clues in a safe-deposit box. The book subsequently slows down back at The Murray School, but perils, like kidnappers on campus, are constant. Samuels’ concise prose establishes the titular hero as a resilient girl who, despite her remarkable powers, doesn’t rely solely on supernatural abilities. This leads to an effective cliffhanger, which should have readers hankering for the final volume in the trilogy. Crisp black-and-white illustrations by the author open each chapter, though some boast so much detail that it’s disappointing they don’t have their own full pages.
A thoroughly absorbing plot makes this an exceptional paranormal sequel. (dedication)Pub Date: N/A
ISBN: 978-1-7322846-8-5
Page Count: 340
Publisher: Valued Educational Services, LLC
Review Posted Online: Dec. 11, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2021
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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
Lush, angsty, queer horror.
When the monsters they imagine come to life, two boys fight for their lives—and each other.
Andrew Perrault, who’s from Australia, writes beautiful, macabre fairy tales. His roommate at his American boarding school, Wickwood Academy, is talented artist Thomas Rye, who brings his stories to vivid life in paint and charcoal. Andrew’s twin sister, Dove, is all but ignoring him, so he has plenty of time to focus on Thomas’ increasingly odd behavior. Thomas’ parents disappeared just before the new school year started, and Andrew noticed blood on his roommate’s sleeve on their first day back. When he follows Thomas into the forest one night, Andrew discovers him fighting one of the monsters that Thomas has drawn from these stories. The boys soon find themselves coping with vicious bullies by day and fighting monsters by night. At the same time, Andrew struggles to reconcile his feelings for Thomas with his growing awareness of his own asexuality. But when the sinister Antler King breaches Wickwood’s walls, Andrew realizes that he and Thomas may not survive their own creations. This novel, written in rich, extravagant prose, features frank portrayals of disordered eating, self-harm, bullying, and mental illness. Andrew grapples realistically with his sexual identity, and the story has ample genuinely creepy moments with the monsters. Andrew, Thomas, and Dove are white.
Lush, angsty, queer horror. (content warning) (Horror. 14-18)Pub Date: Oct. 29, 2024
ISBN: 9781250895660
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Review Posted Online: Aug. 3, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
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