Review by Booklist Review
Artemis, a normal girl, begins this book doing a very normal thing--cleaning the house with her mother--but this first novel takes many unexpected turns. The plot thickens quickly: Artemis learns that aliens are real, they killed her boyfriend six months ago, and she's been accepted to a school to learn how to kill them. She takes the place of her boyfriend, Jared, a formidable hunter of the Nosaru aliens, blood drinkers that are similar to vampires. Abyan, a friend and squadmate of Jared's, makes Artemis' transition difficult; she isn't ready to welcome a new girl to the squad, especially one who doesn't seem up to the task of replacing Jared. The two girls eventually bond over their grief, forming a tight friendship as they try to figure out how deep the secrets go in their academy, and the deeper mysteries of the aliens themselves. A must for teen fans of Ms. Marvel--the comics or the television series.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
In this bustling debut from Egal, teenage students at an elite London-based academy secretly train to hunt and kill vampiric aliens plaguing a dystopian future-Earth. Somali hijabi Abyan Farax Guled, leader of The Sevenfold, Carlisle Academy's top-ranked hunting squad, wants nothing more than to destroy the Nosaru, parasitic aliens that infect and usurp human bodies. After her squad mate Jared dies in action, Abyan, who's clinically depressed, has trouble letting go. When Jared's former girlfriend, "golden-brown" skinned Artemis Garrett-Coleman, is assigned to the Sevenfold as his replacement, she and Abyan butt heads. But, despite Artemis's poor exam scores and subpar combat skills, Carlisle's administration refuses to decommission her. Upon realizing that there's something ominous going on within the academy, the pair, joined by the rest of the Sevenfold, must put aside their differences and defy orders to uncover the truth. Rapid pacing provides little time for emotional beats to land and leaves romantic subplots to falter. Nevertheless, Egal capably combines familiar tropes--academic intrigue, mysterious shadow organizations, and good old-fashioned vampire hunting--with innovative sci-fi elements to deliver an adrenaline-fueled galactic war adventure. Ages 14--up. Agent: Garrett Alwert, Emerald City Literary. (Oct.)
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Review by Kirkus Book Review
Vampire aliens threaten the lives of everyone on Earth, and only the most elite teens are trained to stop them. Admission to London's Carlisle Academy is notoriously difficult, yet Artemis is attending not for the prestige but to avenge her boyfriend's untimely death at the hands of the Nosaru, an alien species that has been feeding off the blood of their human hosts for centuries. Training to kill them will be difficult enough, but Black scholarship student Artemis' biggest challenge may be fitting into the snobby, upper-crust school culture, especially considering squad leader Abyan's initial commitment to making things difficult for her. The Sevenfold is the highest ranked squad at the school, and while Artemis replaces her not-quite-as-he-seemed late boyfriend on the team, there are many secrets for Artemis, Abyan, and the five other combat-ready (but nonetheless paint-by-numbers) teens to unravel. Hijabi Somali British Abyan acts tough but carries a lot of baggage about not being wealthy, which eventually helps her bond with Artemis. Both girls also lost loved ones to the Nosaru. Learning to trust friends is key to fending off an impending monster attack on the school--as well as threats from the intrigue and deceptions within its walls. The dual narration and nonlinear reveals make for a lot of convoluted pieces to a not particularly compelling puzzle, but the kick-ass queer characters will appeal to many readers. Science-fiction action pairs with teen angst in this blood-pumping, if uneven, outing. (Science fiction. 13-18) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
