Scorched

Gr 9 Up—In this preapocalyptic time-travel adventure, 16-year-old Trinity Foxx has to determine which twin from the future is lying to her, and what she should do with the dragon egg her absentminded grandfather went bankrupt to purchase. That's hard to do, though, when one twin, Connor, shows her a future world destroyed by dragon fire that can be prevented if she folllows his instructions. The other twin, Caleb, tries to convince her that dragons are harmless and that the hatchling she's bonded with will help save the world. In fact, in that future, Trinity founded an organization to protect dragons from murderous humans. Trinity also struggles with her attraction to both boys, trauma from her mother's suicide two Christmases ago, and her burgeoning feelings of responsibility for the dragon she helped rescue. The fantastical elements of this novel could be more well fleshed out (and slightly more plausible, especially with regard to the Nether, supposedly the collective unconscious of all dragons), and the suspenseful climax could be paced better, but the story is exciting and original enough to whet readers' appetites for the sequel. The writing style is not overly complex, making this appropriate for a diverse range of adolescent readers. This is a light, fun, unique take on apocalypse fiction, lacking the depth of other titles but thoroughly enjoyable.—Kyle Lukoff, Corlears School, New York City