Author: Jennifer Brown
Genre: Mystery, Young Adult
Published on: February 14, 2017 by Katherine Tegen Books
In the second book of the suspenseful Shade Me trilogy, Nikki Kill becomes embroiled in another mystery where only her synesthesia can help her unravel the dark truth.
Nikki Kill didn’t realize that trying to find out who killed Peyton Hollis would tangle her in a web of dangerous family secrets that would rock her identity to the core. But now that Nikki knows the truth, the all-powerful Hollises want to frame her for Peyton’s murder.
And now Nikki’s only chance at escaping the cold black bars of prison or the crimson grip of death is teaming up with the enigmatic Detective Martinez and relying on an ever-shifting kaleidoscope of clues....
After the stunning events in Shade Me, I readily bought a copy of Dare You. It continues the story of Nikki Kill, a teen sleuth with an unusual condition. This sequel takes place several months after Shade Me ended. Nikki’s graduated from high school, but she isn’t sure what’s next. She hasn’t really stopped to think about what she wants to do with her life. It’s almost a given that Nikki won’t go to college. She has synesthesia, a condition that makes some of her senses overlap. While it’s been really useful for memorization and following clues, it makes reading difficult.
In the previous book, Nikki got tangled in a criminal investigation. Someone beat up Peyton Hollis (the school’s queen bee) brutally. Unfortunately, she couldn’t survive her injuries. After following several clues that Peyton left behind, Nikki discovered they were half-sisters. She also found out what led to Peyton’s attack…and it almost cost Nikki her life. Now, she’s left all that behind to lead as normal a life as possible. While Nikki’s just minding her own business, the police turn up and arrest her. It appears someone planted drugs in Nikki’s car. For what reason, it's revealed soon afterward.
Nikki’s former ally, Detective Chris Martinez, returns at this point. It turns out Nikki hasn’t got in touch with him in months. Fortunately, Chris isn’t bitter about it. He and Nikki hadn’t got that close, and besides, Nikki and her dad don’t trust cops. Chris is the only one Nikki actually liked, because of her synesthesia. He glows yellow, which means justice to her. Chris is indeed a righteous cop. He tells Nikki that the DA’s office is investigating her as a possible suspect in Peyton’s murder. Chris offers to help Nikki clear her name, and she agrees.
As Nikki no longer goes to school, she has more time to devote to this new investigation. She learns right away that Chris also distanced himself from the Hollis affair. He pulled himself out of the case, which means he didn’t come across something Nikki had left for him. It would have shed light on a lot about Nikki that Chris still ignores. Now that the situation’s changed, Chris is back on the Hollis case. Nikki has a few clues she hasn’t followed up on, so she starts there.
One of the series’s primary antagonists is at large again. She’s Luna Fairchild, the half-sister of Peyton (but not related to Nikki). Luna was locked up at the end of Shade Me for killing Dru, the third and last Hollis child. Somehow she’s now free, which worries Nikki. The Hollis were one of the most powerful families in the city, being Hollywood royalty. They fled from justice after Dru’s killing, and now seem to have freed Luna. As Nikki meets more people who were close to Peyton, they warn her how far-reaching the Hollises’ power is. Luna herself is dangerous and unhinged, believing herself destined for greatness.
Nikki and Chris grow a lot closer in this book. The latter is unusually young for a detective. It’s part of what draws Nikki to him, even when she’s not aware of it yet. One little issue is that Nikki doesn’t do relationships. She used to date a guy named Jones. Nikki broke up with him once she realized he fell in love. She doesn’t want that for some reason. Now Chris is making Nikki feel things even Jones didn’t. She tries to resist this throughout the book. As for Chris, it’s easy to see he fancies Nikki. He is certainly very protective of her, and even tells Nikki she would make a good cop. Yeah, Nikki hasn’t told Chris that synesthesia is how she’s been figuring out a lot of stuff.
Dare You reveals a lot more about the series’ important characters. It seems the Hollises weren’t the only family with deep, dark secrets. Nikki learns stuff that makes her increasingly suspicious about her father. It seems he’s hiding something crucial from her. Nikki has hard evidence that he’s not just hiding secrets of his own, he’s straight-out lying. Why would Nikki’s father be doing this? As if that wasn’t enough, someone else close to Nikki betrays her. This leads to another big showdown with Luna. Will the latter succeed this time? It’ll take more than synesthesia and martial arts skills to save Nikki now. Dare You was just as thrilling as the first book. I’m eager to read the final entry in this series.
My rating: ★★★★ 1/2
4.5 stars - A fantastic page-turner!
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