THE SECRET RUNNERS

The end of the world is nigh—who will be able to survive the apocalypse?

Sixteen-year-old twins Skye and Red Rogers move to Manhattan with their rich mother and stepfather to attend the exclusive Monmouth School for the wealthy. At first their lives revolve around fitting in with the elite of New York. But then theories of an impending global apocalypse start to circulate just as the duo gets entangled in a plot that mixes the mysterious disappearance of three teen girls, time travel, and a range of caves under Central Park that only the Secret Runners, a group of privileged and affluent kids, are able to access. But after Skye joins them, she discovers the terrible truth about the future just as society starts to collapse all around her. Can the end of the world as she knows it be prevented? Reilly’s novel features trope-laden, vapid teen girls as well as a reductive attempt at examining class warfare in which the poor rise up like the uncontrolled, homicidal animals many of the wealthy believe them to be. The magic system, which mixes Mayan buildings in Manhattan that are activated by magical Native American gems yielded by the white descendants of Mayflower passengers, is appropriative and ill-conceived. Depictions of neurodivergent characters and those with mental health struggles lack depth and nuance, coming across as othering. All main characters are white apart from one biracial (black/white) girl.

Just say no.