Perfect for anyone looking for humor with a side of death.
Eighteen-year-old Adri spends her days bouncing between school and working at her family’s diner.
Her Peruvian immigrant parents have sacrificed to send her to one of Atlanta’s top private schools, so the pressure is on to do well. Meanwhile, the Solstice Festival is going to be the music festival of the century: The lush Caribbean island setting and hobnobbing with the 1% while listening to hit acts justify the $10,000 price tag. Out of the blue, Adri’s BFF announces big news: Elena’s father has bought tickets for both the girls to attend Solstice. There is just one hurdle—Adri’s parents. They refuse permission, but she goes anyway and texts them from the plane. After that it all starts to go downhill. Myla Island is beautiful but has no cell reception, the promised limos are not there to take them to the venue, and when they do arrive, nothing is ready—no tents, only one food truck, and forget toilets. But all that fades away once the first dead body shows up. Part teen drama, part horror story, this is a delightful novel that readers will want to finish in one sitting. The quirky, campy tone along with off-page violence that is never gratuitous or grotesque make it an appealing choice for younger teens and reluctant readers. Adri's observations of socio-economic differences between entitled festival-goers and Myla locals add depth.
Perfect for anyone looking for humor with a side of death. (Horror. 13-18)Pub Date: Feb. 18, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-250-21989-3
Page Count: 288
Publisher: Imprint
Review Posted Online: Nov. 18, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2019
A treat for mystery readers who enjoy being kept in suspense.
Everyone believes that Salil Singh killed his girlfriend, Andrea Bell, five years ago—except Pippa Fitz-Amobi.
Pip has known and liked Sal since childhood; he’d supported her when she was being bullied in middle school. For her senior capstone project, Pip researches the disappearance of former Fairview High student Andie, last seen on April 18, 2014, by her younger sister, Becca. The original investigation concluded with most of the evidence pointing to Sal, who was found dead in the woods, apparently by suicide. Andie’s body was never recovered, and Sal was assumed by most to be guilty of abduction and murder. Unable to ignore the gaps in the case, Pip sets out to prove Sal’s innocence, beginning with interviewing his younger brother, Ravi. With his help, Pip digs deeper, unveiling unsavory facts about Andie and the real reason Sal’s friends couldn’t provide him with an alibi. But someone is watching, and Pip may be in more danger than she realizes. Pip’s sleuthing is both impressive and accessible. Online articles about the case and interview transcripts are provided throughout, and Pip’s capstone logs offer insights into her thought processes as new evidence and suspects arise. Jackson’s debut is well-executed and surprises readers with a connective web of interesting characters and motives. Pip and Andie are white, and Sal is of Indian descent.
A treat for mystery readers who enjoy being kept in suspense. (Mystery. 14-18)Pub Date: Feb. 4, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-9848-9636-0
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Delacorte
Review Posted Online: Oct. 27, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2019
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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