A satisfyingly twisty and refreshingly self-aware examination of human desires for self-knowledge and survival.
Two years after narrowly escaping becoming a serial killer’s next victim while camping with her family, a 17-year-old returns to the site determined to prove the man who haunts her is dead.
When cornered, Joseph Kincaid, dubbed the Cloudkiss Killer, chose the depths of Georgia’s Cloudkiss Canyon rather than face arrest—but his body was never found, inspiring the hosts of a popular true-crime podcast to organize Killer Quest, a weeklong search for his remains with a $20,000 reward. The contest attracts a variety of entrants including 17-year-old Lucy, hiding behind a pseudonym; 18-year-old Carolina, an artist with a traumatic past; and Lucy’s new crush, Maggie, a charismatic psychology student. Carolina’s and Lucy’s alternating perspectives engage with and ultimately critique true-crime subculture: It can inspire feelings of empowerment but also normalize toxic masculinity, romanticize perpetrators, and exploit and objectify victims. Soon, Killer Quest becomes its own real-time whodunit after one contestant is found near death at the canyon’s edge and others experience frightening hallucinations. Creeping, atmospheric tension builds as the remaining participants become aggressive and suspicious, half believing local legends that the fog-shrouded canyon has supernatural qualities. Lucy wonders if Kincaid is still out there, and Carolina, who experiences disturbing intrusive thoughts, is terrified that she has an uncontrollable propensity for violence. Lucy, Carolina, and Maggie hatch a risky plan to expose the threat in their midst, resulting in an explosive, devastating denouement. Main characters read White.
A satisfyingly twisty and refreshingly self-aware examination of human desires for self-knowledge and survival. (Thriller. 13-18)Pub Date: Oct. 4, 2022
ISBN: 978-0-06-311590-3
Page Count: 400
Publisher: HarperTeen
Review Posted Online: July 26, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2022
An ode to the children of migrants who have been taken away.
A Mexican American boy takes on heavy responsibilities when his family is torn apart.
Mateo’s life is turned upside down the day U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents show up unsuccessfully seeking his Pa at his New York City bodega. The Garcias live in fear until the day both parents are picked up; his Pa is taken to jail and his Ma to a detention center. The adults around Mateo offer support to him and his 7-year-old sister, Sophie, however, he knows he is now responsible for caring for her and the bodega as well as trying to survive junior year—that is, if he wants to fulfill his dream to enter the drama program at the Tisch School of the Arts and become an actor. Mateo’s relationships with his friends Kimmie and Adam (a potential love interest) also suffer repercussions as he keeps his situation a secret. Kimmie is half Korean (her other half is unspecified) and Adam is Italian American; Mateo feels disconnected from them, less American, and with worries they can’t understand. He talks himself out of choosing a safer course of action, a decision that deepens the story. Mateo’s self-awareness and inner monologue at times make him seem older than 16, and, with significant turmoil in the main plot, some side elements feel underdeveloped. Aleman’s narrative joins the ranks of heart-wrenching stories of migrant families who have been separated.
An ode to the children of migrants who have been taken away. (Fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: May 4, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-7595-5605-8
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: Feb. 22, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2021
BOOK REVIEW
There’s not much plot here, but readers will relish the opportunity to climb inside Autumn’s head.
The finely drawn characters capture readers’ attention in this debut.
Autumn and Phineas, nicknamed Finny, were born a week apart; their mothers are still best friends. Growing up, Autumn and Finny were like peas in a pod despite their differences: Autumn is “quirky and odd,” while Finny is “sweet and shy and everyone like[s] him.” But in eighth grade, Autumn and Finny stop being friends due to an unexpected kiss. They drift apart and find new friends, but their friendship keeps asserting itself at parties, shared holiday gatherings and random encounters. In the summer after graduation, Autumn and Finny reconnect and are finally ready to be more than friends. But on August 8, everything changes, and Autumn has to rely on all her strength to move on. Autumn’s coming-of-age is sensitively chronicled, with a wide range of experiences and events shaping her character. Even secondary characters are well-rounded, with their own histories and motivations.
There’s not much plot here, but readers will relish the opportunity to climb inside Autumn’s head. (Fiction. 14 & up)Pub Date: April 1, 2013
ISBN: 978-1-4022-7782-5
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Review Posted Online: Feb. 12, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2013
BOOK REVIEW
SEEN & HEARD
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