by Robin Epstein ‧ RELEASE DATE: Dec. 19, 2015
A promising premise is scuttled by telling instead of showing.
Hotheaded Kassandra is drawn into a web of lies and murders during a summer research program for teens with extrasensory perception.
When Kassandra’s latest act of vigilante justice goes wrong, she is sent to join her great-uncle Brian’s university research program, where she discovers that she shares the family tendency for ESP. Working with four other similarly talented teens, Kass develops her abilities, but their studies are disrupted by a string of murders. Using a combination of vague psychic warnings and examinations of Uncle Brian’s team’s research activities, the group tries to prevent further calamities. This could all be very exciting, especially since the teens’ developing ESP suggests potentially imminent threats. Unfortunately, however, the plot’s momentum falters beneath the teens’ fundamentally dull relationships. There isn’t even enough character development to warrant much mourning when a group member dies. Efforts at enlivening things with attempted injections of attraction and jealousy also fall flat. In fact, when the half-baked romance between Kass and team member Punkaj is revealed to be love—through an awkward announcement from Uncle Brian, of all people—the whole situation just feels forced. Eventually the teens discover enemies in their midst, necessitating a sequel, a prospect that feels less than intriguing.
A promising premise is scuttled by telling instead of showing. (Paranormal mystery. 14-18)Pub Date: Dec. 19, 2015
ISBN: 978-1-61695-581-6
Page Count: 272
Publisher: Soho Teen
Review Posted Online: Sept. 15, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2015
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by David Borgenicht & Molly Smith & Brendan Walsh & Robin Epstein & illustrated by Chuck Gonzalez
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by Kerri Maniscalco ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 20, 2016
Perhaps a more genuinely enlightened protagonist would have made this debut more engaging
Audrey Rose Wadsworth, 17, would rather perform autopsies in her uncle’s dark laboratory than find a suitable husband, as is the socially acceptable rite of passage for a young, white British lady in the late 1800s.
The story immediately brings Audrey into a fractious pairing with her uncle’s young assistant, Thomas Cresswell. The two engage in predictable rounds of “I’m smarter than you are” banter, while Audrey’s older brother, Nathaniel, taunts her for being a girl out of her place. Horrific murders of prostitutes whose identities point to associations with the Wadsworth estate prompt Audrey to start her own investigation, with Thomas as her sidekick. Audrey’s narration is both ponderous and polemical, as she sees her pursuit of her goals and this investigation as part of a crusade for women. She declares that the slain aren’t merely prostitutes but “daughters and wives and mothers,” but she’s also made it a point to deny any alignment with the profiled victims: “I am not going as a prostitute. I am simply blending in.” Audrey also expresses a narrow view of her desired gender role, asserting that “I was determined to be both pretty and fierce,” as if to say that physical beauty and liking “girly” things are integral to feminism. The graphic descriptions of mutilated women don’t do much to speed the pace.
Perhaps a more genuinely enlightened protagonist would have made this debut more engaging . (Historical thriller. 15-18)Pub Date: Sept. 20, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-316-27349-7
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Jimmy Patterson/Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: May 31, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2016
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by Holly Jackson ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 4, 2020
A treat for mystery readers who enjoy being kept in suspense.
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New York Times Bestseller
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
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