Starred review from March 25, 2024
Something has been temporarily raising the dead of Kittakoop, W.Va., but “short and mousey and epileptic” 15-year-old Ian Chandler is more concerned with telling his best friend Eric that he’s in love with him. Before he can do it, however, an emergency evacuation alarm causes him to have a seizure, hit his head, and die. Like many before him, he comes back to life. With the rest of the town evacuated, he joins two living teens who were also left behind: organized Monica, who is chronically ill, and autistic Angel. As his body and mind decay, Ian and his new allies investigate what triggered the evacuation as well as what’s reanimating Kittakoop’s dead. Ian also searches for Eric, who just might love Ian back—and who is determined to mercy-kill him. Even as Ian learns to be angry at those he feels abandoned him, he finds comfort and empowerment in a community that encourages him to “take up space.” Sharp, surreal prose depicts gory scenes of body horror while quick pacing ferries Leif’s compassionate debut horror novel, a deliciously readable ode to disabled kids fighting for survival. Most characters cue as white; Monica reads as Black. Ages 14–up. Agent: Bibi Lewis, Ethan Ellenberg Literary.
May 1, 2024
Grades 9-12 Leif's refreshingly unusual zombie story follows four teens left behind during an emergency evacuation as they fend for themselves against a deadly threat. Years ago, runoff from the mountains poisoned the water in their West Virginia town; since then, when someone dies, they return to life until rot and memory loss necessitate a permanent mercy kill. Ian, who is epileptic, has never felt like a burden with his best friend and secret crush, Eric, who knows what to do during Ian's debilitating seizures. So when Ian blacks out trying to evacuate the mall with Eric during an emergency, he's confused to wake up alone--and dead. When he meets his disabled rival, Monica, and neurodivergent survivalist Angel, they band together as newly dead Ian also fights a bewildering compulsion to ascend the mountain. Leif writes with a fiercely keen understanding of how neurodivergent and disabled people are expected to behave and how they are treated during a crisis. With plenty of dark humor, body horror, and empathy, this queer horror love story is an excellent debut.
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May 1, 2024
A disabled teen survives death during a disaster. In the small West Virginia town of Kittakoop, it's normal to see the dead shambling around, going through the motions of life. Fifteen-year-old Ian, who has epilepsy and reads white, is used to the zombies by now, but what he's not used to is being in love with his best friend and unable to admit it. But when Ian has a seizure in the mall, triggered by flashing lights from an emergency evacuation notice, he dies--and then is revived by the same strange, underexplained magic that drives the convoluted mystery in this story. Once Ian comes back to life, he meets a fierce girl named Angel, whose main role seems to be lecturing him--and readers--about the political ramifications of being perceived as "a disabled, expendable burden" and being "noble sacrifices for the greater good." In the mall, Ian and Angel run into Monica, who's cued Black and is the "only other disabled kid in town," and Ian's longstanding feelings of competition with her provide another thread of didacticism. The metaphors behind the walking dead intertwine with musings on disability and a cryptic, creepy message about mountains "calling the dead home." Unfortunately, the jerky plot and inconsistent worldbuilding leave much to be desired, with unclear fantastical elements as well as too broadly drawn characters. An earnest and ambitious attempt that fails to coalesce. (Horror. 13-17)
COPYRIGHT(2024) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
July 12, 2024
Gr 8 Up-A genre-bending YA novel with a unique take on the typical zombie tale. Ian is a boy with epilepsy living in Kittakoop, WV, where the water has been contaminated and anyone exposed becomes "dark-eyed, oil-dripping shells of their former selves" after their deaths. Luckily for Ian, his family uses water filters, and his crush, Eric, helps to keep him safe from the dead and his seizures. Unluckily, Ian is injured during a seizure triggered by a city evacuation alarm, which results in him falling into a mall fountain with unfiltered water. So instead of Ian confessing his love for Eric, he ends up dying in the fountain during the chaos. When he wakes, Eric is gone. Ian spends most of his time searching for Eric, making new friends, and coming to terms with his death. Everything comes to a head when Ian and his friends discover there may be a way to stop further contamination of the water in Kittakoop. Leif's inclusion of disabled and neurodivergent characters perfectly fits the narrative. Angel, who is autistic, is a role model for the group and encourages Ian to "take up space." However, some supporting characters are not fleshed out enough, and though the conclusion comes with some happiness, it doesn't entirely make sense with events of the story. While parts of this novel are refreshing and unique, inconsistencies in the plot and pacing may prevent readers from enjoying Ian's story. Race of characters is not mentioned. VERDICT An additional purchase.-Lisa Buffi
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