11/20/2023
A forlorn college freshman becomes a doomsday conspiracy theorist in this heartrending verse novel by poet Feinstein (Everything Is Real, for adults). “Wicca-as-hell” teen Crosby is shattered when Shannon, her neighbor and best friend of 13 years, pulls away after their high school graduation, abandoning witchcraft and leaving Oregon to study science in Arizona. Crosby senses that this rift portends something even more terrible—a belief vindicated when, during her first semester at Oregon State University, she hears about the rogue dwarf planet Malachite. World governments and “mainstream media” claim that Malachite will pass harmlessly through Venus’s orbit, but thanks to an alleged NASA whistleblower on YouTube, Crosby knows that Malachite’s collision with Earth is “inevitable and unsurvivable.” A like-minded local psychic says those vibrating at a high enough frequency will ascend to another dimension on impact, sending Crosby on an increasingly desperate quest to save as many people as possible, starting with Shannon. Feinstein incisively reflects on friendship and change while illustrating misinformation’s allure and aftermath via first-person-present verse poems by turns snarky and soulful. Lyrical, immersive writing and realistically flawed, mostly white-cued characters enrich the tale’s bittersweet tone. Ages 14–up. Agent: Savannah Brooks, KT Literary. (Mar.)
"Cue The Twilight Zone music: this novel in verse is offbeat and then some [...] Feinstein’s unusual, well-written, and richly imagined novel will be catnip to speculative apocalypse fans and to all those who enjoy something different."
—Booklist
"Themes of misinformation on social media, cultural appropriation, and critical thinking make this debut from poet Feinstein one to give older teens looking for a unique, relatable issue- and character-driven book."
—SLJ
"Heartrending [...] Feinstein incisively reflects on friendship and change while illustrating misinformation’s allure and aftermath via first-person-present verse poems by turns snarky and soulful."
—Publishers Weekly
"An ultimately hopeful swirl of prognostication, conspiracy theory, and angst."
—Kirkus Reviews
“A gripping, vivid story of dangerous conspiracy pitted against hopeful friendship that made me want to simultaneously devour and savor the book.”
—Jessica Kara, author of Don’t Ask If I’m Okay
04/01/2024
Gr 10 Up—Best friends Crosby and Shannon experienced high school as wiccans, celebrating solstices and delving into astrology, tarot cards, and more. Crosby adheres to the teachings of hippie parents who practice homeopathic medicine, while Shannon's home life has been volatile. Dismayed by Shannon's departure for out-of-state school, Crosby holds on to the past while trying to adapt to college life with friends and teachers that challenge her beliefs. A dwarf planet heading towards Earth, an astronomical event that becomes the focus of conspiracy theories and doomsday cults and intensifies her obsession with apocalyptic omens. Crosby succumbs to fatalist fantasies and catastrophe rhetoric, getting further immersed in misinformation and survival-planning, hoping to escape the earthbound "third dimension" and enter the "fourth dimension" through occult practices. Having given up her possessions, Crosby joins a road trip and finds that her focus on the asteroid enables her to avoid dealing with the changes that occur as one transitions to adult life. Told in first-person free verse, this novel will resonate with readers trying to understand how they fit in the world. The story wraps up succinctly, although the ending is open to interpretation. There is mature language and content, including drinking and drug use. Most characters present as white; one supporting character is gay, and Crosby's intense feelings for Shannon may be platonic or romantic. VERDICT Themes of misinformation on social media, cultural appropriation, and critical thinking make this debut from poet Feinstein one to give older teens looking for a unique, relatable issue- and character-driven book.—Rebecca Jung
2023-12-06
Eighteen-year-old Crosby, with her prematurely white hair, embraces her witchy side and struggles with loss and the possibly impending cataclysmic end of the world.
As the Oregon summer transitions into the first year of college, besties Crosby and Shannon drift apart. For financial reasons, Crosby has enrolled at “the state school with the least stupid mascot,” while Shannon shakes off the notion that they’re witches and heads to college in Tucson. Unanswered texts and Shannon’s happy photos on social media increase Crosby’s unease and loneliness, despite the efforts of her outgoing roommate, Teagan, to expand her social circle. News of dwarf planet Malachite, which is possibly on a collision course with Earth, sets a road trip in motion, bringing Teagan and her friends, Crosby, Shannon, and the potentially disastrous Malachite into one another’s orbits. Crosby is convinced that if she and her loved ones can learn to vibrate at a higher frequency, they will survive the impact and be reunited elsewhere. The lyrical descriptions and verse format are a good match for the novel’s lightly developed speculative fiction elements. Runes, tarot readings, and psychic advice from an enigmatic homeopath play with the notion of what is real; the sense of unreality is enhanced by the effects of the characters’ casual use of weed, shrooms, and alcohol. The cast is predominantly white; cultural appropriation is briefly raised and dismissed without interrogation.
An ultimately hopeful swirl of prognostication, conspiracy theory, and angst. (Verse fiction. 14-18)
