SYNOPSIS:
Emily Bird was raised not to ask questions. She has perfect hair, the perfect boyfriend, and a perfect Ivy-League future. But a chance meeting with Roosevelt David, a homeland security agent, at a party for Washington DC’s elite leads to Bird waking up in a hospital, days later, with no memory of the end of the night.
Meanwhile, the world has fallen apart: A deadly flu virus is sweeping the nation, forcing quarantines, curfews, even martial law. And Roosevelt is certain that Bird knows something. Something about the virus–something about her parents’ top secret scientific work–something she shouldn’t know.
The only one Bird can trust is Coffee, a quiet, outsider genius who deals drugs to their classmates and is a firm believer in conspiracy theories. And he believes in Bird. But as Bird and Coffee dig deeper into what really happened that night, Bird finds that she might know more than she remembers. And what she knows could unleash the biggest government scandal in US history.
WHY SHOULD YOU CHECK IT OUT?
At first glance this one might read like a dystopian premise, but as far as we can tell it takes place in the present day. Which should make it all the more horrifying when the virus hits and the public and government reacts. Knowing that it could happen today, to all of us, will likely help readers connect to Bird’s plight if they otherwise cannot connect to her elite preppy lifestyle.
Not as striking as the author’s previous cover, this one still no doubt will draw in passersby at bookstores for its blue scale and the bio-hazard symbol. What it lacks in complexity on the outside, the story is sure to make up for inside.
This is young adult author Alaya Dawn Johnson’s sophomore novel, after the hit cyberpunk tale THE SUMMER PRINCE, set in a futuristic matriarchal Brazil. Alaya, who currently lives in New York City, graduated from Columbia University in 2004 with a BA in East Asian Languages and Cultures. Find Alaya online at www.AlayaDawnJohnson.com!
EARLY REVIEWS SAY…
[B]lends high school drama, cloak-and-dagger intrigue, race and class inequities, coming of age, and a passionate love story, blending these disparate elements into a narrative that both requires and repays attention. (Publishers Weekly)
The often lyrical third-person, present-tense narration, the compelling romance and the richly developed cast of characters elevate this novel far above more formulaic suspense fare. Utterly absorbing. (Kirkus Review)
NECESSARY DETAILS
YA Dystopian
Hardcover & ebook, 352 pages
Published on September 30th 2014 by Arthur A. Levine Books (ISBN 0545417813)
http://www.arthuralevinebooks.com/book.asp?bookid=251
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