Neverworld Wake by Marisha Pessl

Beatrice and her four friends are driving to a place to hang out, but they get into a crash. They appear fine the next day, or what should be the next day, in an estranged house. They're told that they have entered the "Neverworld Wake" which is a time period where it repeats the same "wake" over and over again. In order to escape the wake, they have to vote for someone at the end of each wake to live, while the others will die. They use this as an opportunity to try new things they haven't discovered yet, and most importantly, find out the truth of the death of their sixth friend, or Beatrice's boyfriend.

This book was definitely interesting to read. There were several concepts which were confusing to me, but aside from that it was definitely a page-turning book. You don't know who to suspect and who is telling the truth. There were several plot twists, which were both good and bad. At certain times, the author snuck in some humorous parts, which let go some of the burning tension you feel when reading. My only problem is the characters, while very different, felt a bit stereotypical. Overall, I think a good portion of teens who like mystery and thriller would enjoy this book.

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Reviewed by Julie S., Grade 9

Glendale Central Library