(2) YA The events of this story are seen in part through the eyes of siblings Ivy and Isaac Ramey, in third-person limited narration, and in part through first-person narration by various drugs, who in this world are personified and have the quality of Greek gods. As the book opens, paramedics fail to revive someone after an opioid overdose; the corpse is tagged with a last name and, somewhat cryptically (and with foreshadowing), a first initial: Ramey, I. The novel then jumps back two months and follows Ivy and Isaac. Ivy, who has been a habitual partier, takes Adderall to help with her ADD, while studious Isaac gradually becomes addicted to OxyContin after his grandmother gives him one of her pills to cope with a sprained ankle. Sometime-narrators Addison (Adderall) and Roxy (OxyContin) openly court the siblings, make friendly wagers with each other, and engage in political gamesmanship with other drugs. If the premise remains nebulous and ambiguous at times, it imbues the plot with elements of mystery and intrigue, coupled with interesting characters and the timely issues of the opioid crisis and other addictions.

Reviewer: Jonathan Hunt | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2022

(2) YA A major drought in Southern California culminates in taps running dry. As people become increasingly desperate and institutions break down, Alyssa, her brother Garrett, and their doomsday-prepper neighbor Kelton wind up on a road trip to survive, picking up strangers along the way who may or may not be allies. This compulsively readable, unnerving dystopia raises important questions about how our current world would handle the similar crises we've created.

Reviewer: Christina L. Dobbs | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2018