Avenged

There are mean girls and queen bees--and then there's Britney Matson, who makes the rest look like hopeless amateurs. This sophomore outing for Cooper picks up where Vanished (2015) left off: narrator Kalah Richards is convinced that Brit has gotten away with the murder of their mutual best friend, Beth, who was also involved in a budding romance with Kalah. Brit's wealth, poise, and "blond all-American looks" have everyone fooled, but Kalah is convinced that if only she keeps a close enough watch, Brit will slip. Unfortunately Kalah struggles with anxiety as well as grief, and her emotional fragility leads even her family and former boyfriend to regard her as unstable and untrustworthy. Brit outflanks Kalah at every turn, ratcheting the tension up to nearly unbearable levels. Kalah's ethnicity and sexual orientation are treated matter-of-factly--refreshingly not turned into causes for angst. Yet Cooper's treatment of her protagonist's South Asian heritage is disappointingly superficial, giving it passing mentions of curry, saris, Gandhi, and Hinduism. Kalah's paralysis and naivete are frustrating at times, but they fill out a sympathetic and realistic portrait of the profound impact of bullying. While the essentials of the back story are woven skillfully into this novel and it can stand alone, it will best be appreciated by those who read Vanished. A taut thriller about a psychopath loose in the halls of a suburban high school. (Mystery. 14-18) COPYRIGHT(1) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

January 1, 2017

Gr 8 Up-This conclusion to the duology picks up right where Vanished left off: Britney has returned after being presumed dead, Beth's death has been ruled an accident, and Kalah is convinced that Britney killed Beth. Kalah spends much of the novel pretending to be Britney's best friend while secretly trying to prove her guilt. Throughout the book, Britney and Kalah's game of cat and mouse raises in stakes and pulls in other characters. Britney is determined to keep her spot at the top of the social food chain and to make another girl miserable for stealing Britney's boyfriend, Jason. Kalah's increasing paranoia and mental instability make her an unreliable narrator of the best sort for a psychological thriller similar to popular adult titles such as Gillian Flynn's Gone Girl and Paula Hawkins's The Girl on the Train. Readers will be unsure if Britney is guilty or if Kalah is delusional until the very end. This title can stand alone, but those who have read the first book will get more out of Avenged. VERDICT A fine addition to a teen psychological thriller collection, especially where Vanished is popular.-Cyndi Hamann, Cook Memorial Public Library District, Libertyville, IL

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