Firstlife

February 8, 2016
Showalter (the White Rabbit Chronicles) addresses religious extremism, conformity, and war in this first book in her dystopian Everlife series. Seventeen-year-old Ten, short for Tenley, lives in a world where two Everlife (afterlife) realms, Troika and Myriad, fight to win over souls, using torture and bombs to force citizens' conversion. Ten has been locked in an asylum for refusing to choose sides. She is a particularly special soul, and both Troika and Myriad send their best and most attractive young men to persuade her that conversion to their realm is paramount, often using romance as a seduction tool. Troikan parallels to Christianity are apparent through the use of numerical symbolism, a divine trinity, and an emphasis on one's Everlife over one's Firstlife. Showalter's rapid plot shifts and action sequences can be disorienting, and Ten's struggle to protect her future and her individuality within the grip of an oppressive society fall in line with genre conventions. Yet the story's use of religion as a framework is fresh and layered, giving the novel an epic sweep. Ages 12âup. Agent: Deidre Knight, Knight Agency.

February 1, 2016

Gr 9 Up-A creative mash-up of dystopian science fiction and otherworldly fantasy. In Tenley "Ten" Lockwood's world, everyone has a First Life, which sets the stage for a Second Life after their first death. There are two main realms one can go to during Second Life: Myriad, a place of indulgence and bliss; or Troika, a place of structure and justice. The divisive factions bring to mind the Peloponnesian War, in which the immoderate Athenians clash with the battle-hardened Spartans. Similarly, Myriad and Troika engage in an epic melee for the souls currently in their First Life. Those who do not choose sides, the Unsigned, are trapped in the Many Ends, a place of constant pain and punishment. Ten currently resides in Prynne Asylum, retained there by her parents since she refuses to choose sides. Friends-turned-foes and recruiters for the Second Lives Killian (Myriad) and Archer (Troika) both come back to the First Life to recruit Ten. Ten is a precious commodity because she is the fusion of multiple spirits and therefore very powerful. As the inmates escape the asylum, Ten undergoes numerous trials and tribulations. Still, she refuses to sign with a specific side. When Ten finally, and unexpectedly, meets with her first death, she ends up in the place she least expects. While the contentious sides of the underworld are interesting, too many convoluted details bog down the narrative. VERDICT An additional purchase for larger YA collections.-Amanda C. Buschmann, Atascocita Middle School, Humble, TX

Copyright 2016 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

January 1, 2016
The afterlife's warring realms compete for an important girl's soul. Tenley has grown up rich and privileged, but she's refused to sign a contract with Myriad, the Everlife realm to which her parents have signed and which has provided her family with wealth in the Firstlife and assurances of comfort after death. That refusal causes her to be sent to a brutal asylum to be tortured until she changes her mind. Both Myriad ("Might Equals Right!") and the other realm, Troika ("Light Brings Sight!"), believe Tenley could be the key to ending their eternal war. Each sends a Laborer to persuade her to finally sign; Troika's is Archer, an impulsive wisecracker with a heart of gold, and Myriad sends bad boy Killian to seduce her. Archer and Killian have a shared history, and they hate each other; cue snark. If she dies without signing, neither realm gets her, and her spirit is sent to a third, mysterious realm rumored to be terrible. The imminent war--and attempts to kill her--might force her to choose. The story is told in a mix of Tenley's present-tense narration and brief, frequently funny dispatches to and from Archer and Killian. Complicated worldbuilding occasionally disrupts with less-than-graceful exposition. The ending screams sequel.An inventive premise and easy-to-root-for characters make this a series opener genre fans will enjoy. (Fantasy. 13 & up)

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