Nemesis (Project Nemesis)

Nemesis (Project Nemesis)

Orphan Black  meets  Lord of the Flies  in this riveting new thriller from the co-author of the Virals series.    It's been happening since Min was eight. Every two years, on her birthday, a strange man finds her and murders her in cold blood. But hours later, she wakes up in a clearing just outside her tiny Idaho hometown—alone, unhurt, and with all evidence of the horrifying crime erased.   Across the valley, Noah just wants to be like everyone else. But he’s not. Nightmares of murder and death plague him, though he does his best to hide the signs. But when the world around him begins to spiral toward panic and destruction, Noah discovers that people have been lying to him his whole life. Everything changes in an eye blink.   For the planet has a bigger problem. The Anvil, an enormous asteroid threatening all life on Earth, leaves little room for two troubled teens. Yet on her sixteenth birthday, as she cowers in her bedroom, hoping not to die for the fifth time, Min has had enough. She vows to discover what is happening in Fire Lake and uncovers a lifetime of lies: a vast conspiracy involving the sixty-four students of her sophomore class, one that may be even more sinister than the murders. 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). VERDICT This fast-paced exploration of the teen condition is recommended for lovers of science fiction, video games, and New Age dystopia.—Emily Grace Le May, Providence Community Library ★ "Min is not your average 16-year-old. Every two years on her birthday, she's murdered. And every two years she comes back, completely unharmed. She's tried to escape the inevitable but knows it's only a matter of time before the man in black returns for her. Now things are getting worse, with an asteroid headed toward Earth. . . [j]ust when she's found that classmate Noah is having the same strange experiences she's tried to keep hidden. . . . Hooked readers will be tapping their fingers waiting for the sequel."— Kirkus Reviews,  starred review ★ "There are many overworked adjectives for action books: page-turner, fast-paced, intense. For this book, multiply all of them. Reichs truly keeps readers guessing throughout, with twists on early every page."— Booklist,  starred review "Min is a self-assured female protagonist, and Noah is a refreshingly complex young man . . . [t]his fast-paced exploration of the teen condition is recommended for lovers of science fiction, video games, and New Age dystopia."— School Library Journal "[I]t's [Min's] story that will . . . draw readers back to see where the cliffhanger ending leads."— The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books "Nemesis will appeal to teens who enjoy a fast-paces, action-filled plot with references to current events."— VOYA "Reichs pulls everything together at the book's end, and a plot twist few will see coming should leave readers eagerly awaiting the second book in this duology."— Publishers Weekly "[E]ven though the thrilling story is lengthy, it's hard to put down . . . . [i]t's mysterious and dark, with plot twists galore. So strap yourself in and be prepared for a bumpy ride."— Romantic Times “Addictive as a puzzle, moving with breakneck speed, Nemesis had me guessing until the very end. Try to predict what Nemesis is. I dare you.”—Victoria Aveyard, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Red Queen   “ Reichs builds plots like the Swiss build watches. Nemesis is a fascinating, twisty page-turner that will keep surprising you until its final page. I loved it.”—Ransom Riggs, #1 New York Times bestselling author of