Broken Circle

July 15, 2017
Adam Jones is a 15-year-old white boy who just wants to be "normal," but his life is anything but. Unable to go to sleep for dread of monsters that stalk his dreams, Adam's insomnia leads to a breakdown at school. At home, his mother's been dead for years, and his eccentric father is often absent. Add his paranoid grandfather, who is convinced the family's at risk. But is it really paranoia? Adam is forced to confront all this when a strange man with a broken-circle medallion shows up, demanding that Adam's father get Adam in line with his "True Destiny." This destiny involves a special boarding school, where things become stranger and scarier. But Adam finally begins to understand some things, and somehow he feels he belongs with this group of strangers, due in large part to their common roles as shepherds for souls of the newly dead. All is not bliss in his new life though, as it seems his new classmates are from competing families who seek to control lucrative territories in North America. A slowly unwinding tale about life and death and the in-between, this sibling collaboration may initially frustrate readers with its withholding of answers, but the Powerses' worldbuilding and writing will keep them hooked. They will find themselves questioning what is fact and what is fiction and cheering Adam on as he journeys in this new, strange world. A gripping, philosophical paranormal thriller. (Fantasy. 12-16)

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August 1, 2017

Gr 9 Up-Adam has been plagued by nightmares since his mother died, but it's not until a psychotic episode overtakes him at school that his dad ships him off to a private academy for help. Here, Adam learns his True Destiny-he is a soul guide, one of the few beings trained to lead a soul through death, into Limbo, and out to the Other Side. A child of two warring guide clans, Adam has been raised with no training on how to use the giant powers roiling inside him; and although warned to trust no one, he doesn't know enough to avoid La Luz (a shadowy organization seeking to overthrow death itself-and, by extension, the soul guides, too) in time to prevent a schoolmate's death. He is ultimately on his own when it comes to dealing with his (quite real) inner demons. Although the authors' world-building is thin and the last chapter is more a pause for breath than a conclusion, readers will forgive these aspects in favor of Adam's wry, funny, and ultimately sweet voice. Through the horrors he encounters, he realizes that the family he longs for is more than just blood ties. Savvy readers will be disappointed with the sketchy details of the soul guide's world. The blood, gore, and period explicit language render this better for older readers. Fans of Holly Black and Cassandra Clare will enjoy this series starter. VERDICT Buy where YA urban fantasy circulates briskly.-Elizabeth Friend, Wester Middle School, TX

Copyright 2017 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

September 1, 2017
Grades 7-10 Adam finds his life turned upside down after suffering what is deemed a psychotic episode at school, which results in his being sent to a boarding school in the middle of nowhere. In this intriguing tale of life and death (literally, there are soul guides and a grim reaper), siblings J. L. and M. A. Powers explore the intersections of fear and power in relation to limbo, as Adam and his newfound friends try to become everything they are supposed to be. Like the nightmares that Adam experiences, there are parts of the narrative that are linear and draw the plot forward, and other parts, seemingly unrelated, that create a sense of confusion and unease in the novel. Though some plot elements seem to melt away, they make way for the development of the protagonist and create an urgency in the narrative that will keep readers on the edge of their seats, wanting morewhich is good, considering this is the first of a series.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2017, American Library Association.)