Made for You

July 1, 2014

Gr 9 Up-Eva Tilling is queen bee among an elite group of high school friends in tiny Jessup, North Carolina. When she's the victim of a hit-and-run, she struggles to remember what happened. Thanks to alternate narration, readers know what Eva doesn't: it wasn't an accident. As Eva recovers in the hospital, Judge, who confesses that's not his actual name, but his soul name, tells his side of the story. His logic for hitting her is hard to follow and incredibly disturbing. He feels he is saving her, teaching her lessons, and making offerings for her. His crimes and logic are tied to bizarre notions of fate, love, purity, status, and sex. Eva grows confident that someone is after her and her group of friends when she learns that, post-accident, she can foresee peoples' deaths. As she tries to figure out who the killer is and save her friends, Judge grows ever-closer to Eva, certain that it is God's plan for them to be together. Mixing elements of realism, paranormal, mystery, thriller, and romance, the story struggles to find its footing. The crimes committed are gruesome and Judge's "love" for Eva is chilling. The large cast of interchangable characters clutters up a thin plot that's already flailing from too many genre conventions. While it will certainly appeal to Marr's dedicated fans and those who like dark stories where horrific things happen, teens may find themselves skimming this overlong, slow-to-develop story simply to find out Judge's identity.-Amanda MacGregor, formerly at Apollo High School Library, St. Cloud, MN

Copyright 2014 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

August 1, 2014
In a small backwater town where social standing is everything, 17-year-old Eva discovers being the favorite can be terrifying. Eva's family is wealthy and influential, so it's big news when she's the victim of a hit-and-run that leaves her severely injured and deeply scarred. While recovering in the hospital, sweet-tempered Eva discovers her new and horrifying ability: When people touch her, she can foresee their deaths. When one of her friends is murdered and left with a message carved in her flesh, it's clear the killer wants Eva. The book is broken up by chapters in voices other than Eva's, the most absorbing of which is Judge, a sexually twisted religious zealot obsessed with Eva, who believes he's communicating with her through the flowers he leaves on his victims. Readers know he's the killer but not who he is among Eva's acquaintances. Lifelong friend Nate makes Eva's heart flutter. He stays handsomely by her side throughout the mounting terror. As the death toll increases, Eva, meek no more, uses her visions in an attempt to stop the murderer's elaborate plan to possess her. Marr, who generally explores supernatural themes, here pens a tightly choreographed spine-chiller with an intriguing view into the mind of a psychopath. This riveting whodunit delivers a bouquet of teen romance, paranormal and thriller. (Paranormal thriller/romance. 15-20)

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September 15, 2014
Grades 10-1 Eva Tilling has a new talent: when people touch her, she sinks into a vision of how they will die. Her freaky skill manifests during her hospital recovery from a hit-and-run that was no accident. This twisted modern southern gothic tale unfolds through the multiple perspectives of her friends and the killer, who nicknames himself Judge. Judge's chapters are sickening with details of his God-driven obsession for Eva and his sexual fantasies that are enacted on successive victims as he kills Eva's friends and leaves symbolic flowers and carved words in their flesh as messages for Eva. Eva's childhood friend Nate, now a hunky lothario, is hired as a companion for Eva, and that relationship will delight the romantics who read this paranormal romance thriller. The rest of the page flipping will be to discover the identity of the killer and to watch Eva foolishly go after him, making choices typical of a teen horror flick. Despite the page count, mysteries remain, but Marr's fans will want to read this. HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: By now, purchasers know that they will need multiple copies of anything new from the New York Times best-selling author to satisfy fans.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2014, American Library Association.)