Made for You

Gr 9 Up—Eva Tilling is queen bee among an elite group of high school friends in tiny Jessup, North Carolina. When she's the victim of a hit-and-run, she struggles to remember what happened. Thanks to alternate narration, readers know what Eva doesn't: it wasn't an accident. As Eva recovers in the hospital, Judge, who confesses that's not his actual name, but his soul name, tells his side of the story. His logic for hitting her is hard to follow and incredibly disturbing. He feels he is saving her, teaching her lessons, and making offerings for her. His crimes and logic are tied to bizarre notions of fate, love, purity, status, and sex. Eva grows confident that someone is after her and her group of friends when she learns that, post-accident, she can foresee peoples' deaths. As she tries to figure out who the killer is and save her friends, Judge grows ever-closer to Eva, certain that it is God's plan for them to be together. Mixing elements of realism, paranormal, mystery, thriller, and romance, the story struggles to find its footing. The crimes committed are gruesome and Judge's "love" for Eva is chilling. The large cast of interchangable characters clutters up a thin plot that's already flailing from too many genre conventions. While it will certainly appeal to Marr's dedicated fans and those who like dark stories where horrific things happen, teens may find themselves skimming this overlong, slow-to-develop story simply to find out Judge's identity.—Amanda MacGregor, formerly at Apollo High School Library, St. Cloud, MN