Those That Wake by Jesse Karp

Mal is a fighter not just with his fists, but with all he has against what life throws at him: an abusive mother and a string of foster parents. Mal has learned endurance. Laura appears to be set for success: her loving family, grade point average, AP class schedule and extensive volunteerism appear to have her poised to attend one of the best colleges. They have nothing in common, until….. Laura is arrested by homeland security for “harassing” her parents who now have no memory of her. Mal’s brother goes missing and Mal is attacked while investigating the trail. Both wake up together with three others in a strange, confined space.  

As events unfold everything seems to hinge on the mysterious building hiding in plain sight in Midtown Manhattan. Unless someone physically points it out, the building is beyond view almost as if one forgot to notice it. The building houses an equally mysterious man in a suit who sends runners and secret packages out into the city. On the 32 floor of this building is an impossibly large room that contains nothing but doors. Doors that lead inexplicably into different places: the boiler room in a basement, a hospital hallway, doors that all seem to lead into buildings and places not physically connected to this one. Ever-present in this building is the stomach churning fear, especially of the top floor. What lies there? What is the mystery of this building and this man? What have they done to Laura’s family and Mal’s brother? Why is everything (cell phones, mirrors, tables) breaking around Laura and Mal? Is there a connection to the dome looming high in everyone’s vision, a remnant of the Big Black power failure?

Those That Wake is part of the growing collection of books that look into the future and show us a possible truth. Those That Wake uses the experiences of Laura and Mal to look at the growth and power of corporate marketing schemes, the power of technology to dull us to everything around us, and what makes us human. With some dramatic sequences, and air of mystery readers will be propelled along. The question of whether Mal and Laura can survive is compelling. The question of who will be turned against them next and who is the biggest threat is equally compelling. The question readers will be left to contemplate is this: “What’s a human life really worth beyond the capacity to be a consumer?”  

Related Titles Worth Considering:

If you liked the dual nature of Those That Wake, as it alternated between Mal and Laura in a dystopia where technology bends reality into the shape of something far more sinister, you may want to try Incarceron by Catherine Fisher.

If you like the commentary on technology, corporations, consumerism and their invasiveness in modern life, you may want to try Little Brother by Cory Doctorow and Feed by M.T. Anderson.

Cryer’s Cross by Lisa McMann

“Everything changes when Tiffany Quinn disappears.” Kendall lives in a tiny farming community in Montana. One spring a classmate disappears. The entire community searches with no avail. Tiffany is simply gone. As summer turns to fall, Kendall and her classmates attempt to return to normal. Tiffany’s absence is obvious, since Kendall’s community is so small that the entire high school attends a one room school house. In spite of her OCD (“counting, always counting something”) Kendall feels like life is back on track with the beginning of school until her best friend Nico acts strange and then he, too, disappears. Kendall’s world is rocked. The community is unsettled, struggling to keep its young people safe with curfews and partner polices. But no one knows how to protect the teens because no one can find a clue about either Tiffany or Nico’s disappearance. Then, Kendall begins to hear the whispers. Will they leader her to Nico or something more sinister?  

Cryer’s Cross is not your average mystery. There is more brewing here than simply a “who done it?” Short, tight chapters are divided by clues from the “We, When it is over, We breathe and ache like old oak, like peeling birch. One of Our souls set free….Calling to Our next victim, Our next savior. We carve on Our face: Touch Me. Save my soul.” Kendall’s struggle over the mysterious loss of her best friend and perhaps boyfriend is authentic. Her escalating struggle with her OCD in the face of events spinning beyond her control becomes increasingly unsettling. Cryer’s Cross becomes ever more creepy and spooky in the second half. For all the clues and fingers pointed in frustration, the end remains entirely unpredictable. For readers who enjoy being kept in the dark waiting for things to bump and surprise, this is a great choice. Cryer’s Cross hooks readers and won’t let go. Read this book if you like thrillers, creepy stories, and surprising endings that also remain free of the gratuitous language and sex that often work their way into YA literature.