Crazy House

March 13, 2017
In this boilerplate dystopian thriller, set in the not-too-distant future, twin sisters discover that their peaceful existence in a strictly regimented farming community is a lie and struggle to survive against overwhelming odds. When 17-year-old wild child Becca Greenfield is kidnapped and imprisoned in a terrifying, violent institution, her sister Cass is desperate to find out what happened. While Becca fights for her life, Cass enlists the aid of Nathaniel, the handsome son of her town’s provost, who’s part of an underground rebellion. As the sisters unravel the deadly secrets of the so-called crazy house, they’re shocked by the part it plays in a larger conflict between world-controlling elites and the general population. While the premise is sound, Patterson and Charbonnet (the Witch & Wizard series) offer up a derivative story with predictable twists, fairly shallow characters, and revelations that won’t surprise anyone familiar with the dystopian genre. The worst offense: when Becca casually reveals that she’s pregnant after being raped by a teacher, has a miscarriage, and overcomes the traumas in record time. Ages 14–up.