Nemesis

Gr 7 Up–Reichs's new novel offers readers a glimpse into the final moments of a preapocalyptic world, as seen through the eyes of two radically different teens. Min and Noah haven't been friends since they were kids, and they don't have much in common: she's from the wrong side of the trailer park; he's from the right side of the mansion. What's the recently discovered common thread that links them? Since they were eight years old, they've both been murdered on their even-numbered birthdays by an unidentified assassin—and then have immediately come back to life. Min is taking a proactive approach to finding her murderer, enlisting the help of her best friend and breaking into offices to uncover encrypted files. Noah, stuck under the controlling thumb of his psychiatrist and desperate to be normal, is slower to acknowledge his bizarre, brutal reality. Yet with the threat of cataclysmic death and destruction on the rise, Noah must decide which path to follow—blazing a trail with Min or falling in line with his powerful and popular friends. The two characters have an abundance of differing traits (rich/poor, male/female, insecure/brave), so their alternating narratives offer a little something for every reader to relate to. Min is a self-assured female protagonist, and Noah is a refreshingly complex young man, a stoic type who is willing to admit to himself when Min is stronger and more fearless than he is (which is often).