The Blood Between Us

Narrator Nick Podehl's portrayal of two antagonistic siblings captures their furious dialogues as the point-of-view character, Adrien, returns home from boarding school. Distance hasn't diminished Adrien's dislike and distrust of his adoptive sister, Grace, a dynamic that worsened with their parents' freakish accidental death. Podehl captures Grace's volatile comebacks and sudden fits with an intensity that matches his dramatization of Adrien. Rumors of his sister's misdeeds stoke Adrien's fires of discontent to a barely contained emotional blaze. Podehl softens those harsh emotions with hints of Adrien's pain as well as the longing for love that lurks beneath his behavior. Providing counterpoint, Podehl gives a gentle voice to a kindly guardian who wishes for the siblings' resolution. At the story's climax, Podehl escalates Adrien's emotions from confusion, to questioning, and, finally, horror. S.W. © AudioFile 2016, Portland, Maine

March 14, 2016
After Grace and Adrien’s parents die in a sudden laboratory accident, a festering sibling rivalry (centered on Adrien’s adoption) sends the two orphans fleeing to opposite sides of the country. Four years later, their guardian’s impending death throws them back together at the same private school, while Adrien tries to unravel his parents’ demise and the theft of their scientific papers, prompted by a string of anonymous text messages. Brewer (The Cemetery Boys) threads his story with dramatic high points—explosive science projects, a poignant memory key to the sibling’s animosity—as well as thoughtful explorations of sexuality, but as a mystery it falls short. Character interactions and dialogue are often stilted, even didactic at times (“Anyone who thinks an eighteen-year-old is capable of choosing their forever path in life is kidding themselves,” Adrien tells a guest at a dinner party). After Adrien wends his way through a series of clues, the splintered story line leads to a rushed conclusion that sees the villain explaining the plan in full. Ages 13–up. Agent: Michael Bourret, Dystel & Goderich Literary Management.

March 1, 2016

Gr 8 Up-When Adrien Dane's adoptive parents are killed in a science lab explosion, he elects to spend his high school years at a San Diego boarding school, far away from his hateful sister, Grace. Returning home at the request of his dying godfather, Viktor, Adrien agrees to finish his senior year at his old school. He promises Viktor and his partner, Julian, that he will bury the hatchet with his sister-but it is easier said than done. Adrien receives mysterious text messages warning about Grace's involvement in their late father's research and complicity in the deadly explosion. Suspense builds, as Grace's vitriolic behavior intensifies. Adrien suffers an attack by bullies and nearly dies in a sabotaged chemistry experiment. The plot is linear and slow to develop, until the dramatic ending, in which a murderer comes forth and a dark family secret is revealed. Leading up to this, readers will be absorbed by large doses of teen angst, the boarding school scene, and Adrien's acknowledgement of his sexual preferences. While Adrien's family members seem a bit wooden, his new roomie Quinn; an old friend, Josh; and his enigmatic lab partner, Caroline, are more layered and contribute to Adrien's development as an empathetic coming-of-age character. VERDICT The conflicted and angsty teen is far more interesting than the unconvincing murder mystery.-Vicki Reutter, State University of New York at Cortland

Copyright 2016 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from March 1, 2016
Adrien can't get away from his wicked sister fast enough after his adoptive parents die in a horrific accident; it takes something huge to get him back in the same city as his sister, his past, the ghosts he's been trying to outrun, and danger he doesn't see coming. Brewer writes from Adrien's point of view, allowing readers to feel deeply some very painful parts of his life, the arrogance that masks his self-doubt, his humor and intentions, and how bewildering it is to be labeled by people who have no real idea who he is. Adrien is well-off, white, good-looking, and in a lot of pain. Readers understand why others see him as they do, and they know that none of them are exactly right. The central premise is engaging--did Adrien's sister lead their parents to their deaths, and is he next?--and though the book is an easy read, it's not a simplistic one. Brewer isn't afraid to show how smart Adrien is, using cinematic, almost Gothic phrasing, humor, suspense, compassion, and sensitivity to the nebulous natures of sexuality and identity. The characters are richly wrought but broad enough to not be pinned into one era, which means this book will seem fresh to new readers for decades to come. Brewer confides to readers in a prologue that he has transitioned from Heather to Zac and has come out as gay. Although overarching issues of identity are felt in this book, Adrien is not a trans character. Brewer weaves sexuality and identity into the story but does not make them the engine for it; the result is a rich, authentic read. (Mystery. 13-18)

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March 15, 2016
Grades 8-11 Four years have passed since Adrien's adoptive parents were killed in a freak accident, and now circumstances have conspired to bring him back to the private school he abandoned in the wake of their death. This means an unwelcome reunion with his bete noire, his adoptive sister, Grace. As his suspicions are fueled by text messages he has been receiving from an anonymous someone, he begins to suspect Grace might have been complicit in their parents' death. In the meantime, he has begun having tender feelings for both Caroline, his new chemistry-lab partner, and Josh, his best friend. Does this mean he's gay? Bisexual? Asexual? And is he really as arrogant as some people claim? It's all very complicated. Happily, Brewer does a fine job handling these uncertainties and at the same time ratcheting up suspense as the mystery of the parents' deaths deepens. The denouement, when it comes, may seem more than a bit implausible, but, carried along by the riveting plot, few readers will mind.HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: Brewer, of Vladimir Tod fame, returns with full artillery support: author videos, social-media graphics, and more.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2016, American Library Association.)