Dead Girls Society

September 19, 2016
In this absorbing standalone novel from Krys (Hexed), teenager Hope Callahan receives a mysterious invitation to play a secret game of “thrills and dares.” Hope, isolated due to complications from her cystic fibrosis, is desperate for company and excitement, so although she knows that it’s a bad idea to sneak off to an abandoned New Orleans warehouse in the middle of the night, she does so anyway. Upon arrival, she finds four other invited girls and instructions to complete a series of dares for a chance to win $100,000. As the dares grow more dangerous, and Hope realizes that quitting isn’t an option, she begins to fear that she’s not competing for money but fighting for her life. This swiftly paced blend of mystery and psychological suspense uses vividly sketched characters with complex backstories to argue against stereotyping and in favor of tolerance and empathy. Creepy set pieces add tension and texture, and the burgeoning relationship between Hope and her best friend Ethan provides a dose of romance. Ages 12–up. Agent: Adriann Ranta, Foundry Literary + Media.

September 15, 2016
When Hope Callahan receives an invitation to take risks that her cystic fibrosis--a chronic, fatal lung disease--denies her, she enters a life-or-death game of blackmail and dares. Stuck at home sick for six weeks, Hope thinks the game (complete dangerous dares and win $100,000, or fail and be eliminated) will provide much-needed freedom from her mother's anxious hovering, not to mention money for the medications they can barely afford. Instead, she and four other contestants are blackmailed by the mysterious Society, which somehow knows their worst secrets. When Hope meets her fellow players, she highlights a horror trope--"the Bad Girl, the Smart Girl, the Rich Girl, the Sporty Girl, and the Sick Girl"--and their sketchy characterizations do little to contradict it. Two girls are of color; three, including Hope, appear to be white. Except for Hope's strongly depicted poverty and conflicted love for her mother and sister, the characters and New Orleans setting are merely game pieces. Without further dialogue or interaction to develop them, characters' expository tragic back stories arouse little sympathy, and since the girls' interactions with one another are largely limited to completing dares, their close friendship seems unlikely. Certain events seem to contradict the rules. The villain's motives are nothing new, and the villain's influence is unrealistically wide. A romantic rivalry lacks chemistry, and the cliffhanger ending lacks buildup. Reminiscent of Sara Shepard's Pretty Little Liars (2007)--readers looking for gossipy suspense should start there. (Thriller. 14-18)

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October 1, 2016

Gr 8 Up-This is not your typical dying teenage girl story. Hope Callahan has cystic fibrosis and longs to be a normal high school student but is restrained by her overprotective mother. When Hope receives a mysterious email inviting her to participate in a game of dares, she is curious enough to sneak out to the midnight meeting, where she finds four other girls from school. Together, they are manipulated into taking part in a series of dangerous challenges. For the protagonist, it's a chance to win money to pay for her medical expenses. But after she nearly dies and her mother's car is blown up, she is determined to figure out who is running the game before somebody gets killed. The New Orleans-area location is an ideal setting for the intriguing narrative. Although the characters are stereotypical (the rich snob, the smart girl, the athlete, the bad girl, the best friend/secret crush), they develop as the story progresses. Hope is an admirable heroine, but it's difficult to believe that someone with chronically bad lungs could survive a bungee jump and the other physically exhausting feats she manages. There is also some confusion about what happened to a character. Did she commit suicide or die in a fire? Both scenarios are given as motivation for the person behind the dares. The neatly resolved ending seems to unravel in the last sentence of the book. VERDICT An interesting premise that doesn't quite work. Purchase only where titles with similar are popular.-Martha Simpson, Stratford Library Association, CT

Copyright 2016 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

October 15, 2016
Grades 9-12 Hope is under no delusions about her life. Her cystic fibrosis means she won't live as long as everyone else, and she alternates between being able to go to school and having to stay home for long stretches of time. Her best friendand secret crushEthan is supportive, but Hope feels like she holds him back. So when she receives a mysterious invitation directing her to an abandoned building, she seizes the opportunity to be reckless. Soon she becomes entangled with four other girls, all with secrets of their own, and through means that are part bribery and part blackmail, she is forced to play an increasingly dangerous game in the swamps and streets of New Orleans. The ending comes abruptly, and readers familiar with the genre will likely put the pieces together early on, but that won't dissuade them from following Hope along her breakneck journey. Highly readable and featuring a teen with a disability, this is an addictive mystery sure to appeal to fans of Sara Shepard's Pretty Little Liars series.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2016, American Library Association.)