A slow buildup pays off with an explosive ending.
Gardner-Bahnsen School for Girls “prides itself on being different”—and that goes for both the students they admit and what they’re taught.
Unlike other elite boarding schools, Gardner’s curriculum incorporates survival skills such as archery, hunting, and butchering game. These lessons culminate in the annual Tierney Cup tournament, in which seven seniors compete for the coveted trophy through a series of wilderness tests. Wren “Max” Maxwell, a Black scholarship student with a troubled family background, dreams of winning the cup and proving herself in her new social circle. The competition is complicated by the presence of Nora McQueen, Max’s former best friend, a biracial (Black and white) girl whose confession of romantic feelings fractured their bond. Also competing is Theodora “Teddy” Swanson, a newly arrived Black girl with a checkered past. Tensions rise when Teddy begins dating Nora, intentionally provoking Max. As the contest unfolds, a hurtful secret comes to light with dangerous consequences. The story is told from the three girls’ revolving points of view. Teddy reveals that she feels a “black hole” within her that’s only satisfied by feeding off the chaos she creates; despite this explanation, her obsession with Max seems forced. The narrative invites readers to question the unhealthy dynamics among the girls at the school, who frequently belittle one another. The buildup to the denouement is long, but readers will be treated to a shocking ending. There’s racial diversity in the supporting cast.
A slow buildup pays off with an explosive ending. (Thriller. 14-18)Pub Date: June 17, 2025
ISBN: 9781665932301
Page Count: 416
Publisher: McElderry
Review Posted Online: April 4, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2025
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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
BOOK REVIEW
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