Starred review from October 30, 1995
As in The Eyes of Kid Midas, Shusterman takes an outlandish comic-book concept and, through the sheer audacity and breadth of his imagination, makes it stunningly believable. His cast here might be a diseased and delinquent version of D.C. Comics' Justice League of America--each of six 15-year-olds suffers from a bizarre affliction that carries with it supernatural powers--and each affliction seems a gross distortion of a typical adolescent problem. Irresistible Michael, overwhelmed by lust, provokes killing fury in jealous men; Tory is being consumed by acne and poisons everything she touches; and so forth. Shusterman's unique vision, suspenseful pacing and empathy with teens' not-so-nice emotions will draw readers into this fabulous tale just as inexorably as its protagonists are impelled to find one another and discover the source of their malaises. A spellbinder. Ages 12-up.
October 2, 1996
Six teens battle an evil force that controls and intends to destroy them. "Shusterman takes an outlandish comic-book concept and, through the sheer audacity and breadth of his imagination, makes it stunningly believable," said PW in a starred review. Ages 12-up. (Nov.) r
July 1, 2013
Because Shusterman's story favors shock value over plot development, the unique premise that six teenagers have ingested demons along with fragments of a soul from an exploded star fails to yield a coherent theme. As the teens travel the country in pairs, compelled to meet and reunite the soul, one boy gives in to his demon, and the overblown descriptions of the havoc he wreaks are unintentionally comical.
(Copyright 2013 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)