The Marvelous

May 10, 2021
Kann (If It Makes You Happy) delivers a high-concept escape room drama featuring a variously inclusive cast. Light-skinned socialite turned app developer Jewel Van Hanen, who is biracial (Black and white), returns from a yearlong hiatus from her app, Golden Rule, to invite six app users on a mysterious all-expenses-paid getaway called Golden Weekend. Among them is Luna, a half-Black, half-white superfan, 15, who is obsessed with unlocking the meaning behind everything Jewel does; “Black and female and fat” aspiring actor and Golden Rule superstar Nicole, who attends under coercion; and brown-skinned, micro-locced Stella, a Golden Rule newbie whose invite carries much more enigmatic motives. Arriving at Jewel’s vast estate, they’re invited to play The Cruelest Jewel, in which they must complete a series of tasks for a chance at being one of two winners of $500,000. After a slow start, the high-stakes contest picks up speed, intertwining mystery with engaging character interactions. The resolution feels muddled, but usernames make the online aspect feel real, and a confounding 11th-hour mystery and plenty of found family goodness—paired with a vibrantly described setting and clever gameplay—will excite. Ages 13–up.

June 1, 2021

Gr 8 Up-Jewel van Hanen, elusive creator of the popular Golden Rule app (think TikTok, but with longer, diary-style videos), has returned from a yearlong absence with an exciting announcement. She is inviting four lucky Golden Rule users to spend an exclusive weekend at her expansive estate. When the players arrive, instead of a weekend of luxury, they find themselves in a grueling competition that pits them against each other and leaves several on the brink of insanity. Readers will be on the edge of their seat to see who wins the $500,000 prize-and as the challenges grow ever more horrifying, if it's worth what it takes to win it. Though Kann builds anticipation throughout the novel, the ending is a bit of a letdown. This fast-paced story utilizes frequent perspective changes among three narrators, which may be confusing for some readers, especially when trying to reconcile characters with their oft-referenced Golden Rule personas. The three narrators and Jewel are Black and the story includes queer representation. VERDICT With a premise that's a mixture of Ernest Cline's Ready Player One and Jennifer Lynn Barnes's The Inheritance Games, this will be an easy sell to readers looking for a suspenseful story.-Mary Kamela, Kenmore West H.S., Buffalo, NY

Copyright 2021 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

June 1, 2021
Grades 9-12 After returning from a yearlong absence, heiress, social media mogul, and actress Jewel Van Hanen announces that she is hosting one last Golden Weekend getaway, where she typically funds dreams and ventures. Jewel chooses four of her followers--including Luna, Nicole, and Stella, whose alternating points of view facilitate the story--to participate; however, when the lucky followers arrive at Jewel's massive estate, they realize the weekend is really a competition in which they must solve a mystery to win a big cash prize. Things go off the rails as the competitors encounter curveballs, like a disappearance and complex riddles, and as the contest becomes more serious, the girls must decide whether or not to work together. Kann's (Let's Talk about Love, 2018) latest includes mystery, adventure, romance, and plenty of sarcasm, along with messages of acceptance, friendship, sisterhood, and growth among the diverse cast. Readers will be enthralled by both the characters and the competition in this funny and enticing mystery.

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