Review by Booklist Review
In 2118 Manhattan, high society is literally sky-high on the thousandth floor of the Tower, where the Fuller family has its penthouse. Avery Fuller, a genetically engineered queen bee high-school student, lives there with her parents and adopted brother, Atlas. Her circle of high-dwelling friends includes Leda (who's fighting drug addiction) and Eris (who's just learned she's the product of her mother's affair). Much lower down in the Tower live tech genius Watt (hired by Eris to spy on her crush, Atlas) and orphaned Rylin, a housekeeper swept into a romance with high-dwelling playboy Cord. In the prologue, an unspecified girl from this cast falls from the thousandth floor, triggering the interlocking backstories that follow. It's a clever construction, and although it feels very much like watching an episode of Gossip Girl set 100 years in the future, readers who love uncovering scandalous secrets will find themselves staying up late to see who fell and why. McGee captures the backstabbing tendencies of teens, but takes care to flesh out characters so that no one is truly villainous. HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: You might say this is a towering debut, with a six-figure marketing campaign including an author tour and original video content.--Carton, Debbie Copyright 2016 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
In a confident debut, McGee creates a fascinating 22nd-century world set in a single thousand-floor mega-tower that houses all of Manhattan. Centering on the genetically flawless Avery Fuller, 16, who lives on the top floor and has everything a wealthy girl could want or need, McGee shifts smoothly among the intersecting stories of a handful of teens. Avery is always the most beautiful girl in the room, much to the chagrin of her best friend Leda, who is hiding a serious drug addiction. Meanwhile, Eris's perfect life crumbles when she learns that her father is not her biological father and, therefore, she and her mother are penniless. Rylin, an orphan, takes a job as a maid for spoiled Cord Anderton, only to begin an uncertain courtship. Watt, a computer genius, creates an illegal "quant" named Nadia that helps him navigate the social structure of the tower. Replete with romance, jealousy, and enticing future fashions and tech, McGee's story delivers more than enough drama and excitement to hook readers and leave them anticipating the next book in the trilogy. Ages 13-up. Agency: Alloy Entertainment. (Aug.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
Gr 10 Up-One hundred years in the future, New York City's skyline has been dramatically altered by the addition of a 1,000-story tower. The wealthy dwell in the upmost levels, while those who support the infrastructure of the tower live below. The book opens with an unidentified young woman plunging to her death from the penthouse. The remainder of the title flashes back two months and follows the points of view of five teens. Perfect Avery Fuller lives in the penthouse. She harbors a secret love for her adopted brother, Atlas. Meanwhile, her best friend, Leda, is tentatively dating Atlas. Cool girl Eris is about to lose everything. Rylin, who works for party boy Cord, tries to juggle her feelings for her boss with her loyalty to her incarcerated boyfriend. All of these plotlines intersect with the expected amount of fashion, scandal, partying, drug use, and hookups. Readers will spend time wondering which teen's dark secret would lead her to jump or be pushed from the tower. This will be gobbled up by fans of "Gossip Girl" and its ilk. High-tech elements are prevalent throughout, but it is the characters who will keep young adults reading. VERDICT An excellent hook and familiar tropes make this title a likely hit with teens.-Kristin Anderson, Columbus Metropolitan Library System, OH © Copyright 2016. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review
In 2118, beautiful and rich Avery lives in the penthouse of Manhattan's thousand-story Tower. She's in love with Atlas, her adopted brother, who had sex with her best friend, Leda--and theirs are just three of the five rotating perspectives in this convoluted but highly readable futuristic mystery with appeal for Pretty Little Liars fans. (c) Copyright 2017. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
