Author: Brendan Reichs
Genre: Science Fiction, Young Adult
Published on: March 21, 2017 by G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers
Orphan Black meets Lord of the Flies in this riveting new thriller from the co-author of the Virals series.
It's been happening since Min was eight. Every two years, on her birthday, a strange man finds her and murders her in cold blood. But hours later, she wakes up in a clearing just outside her tiny Idaho hometown—alone, unhurt, and with all evidence of the horrifying crime erased.
Across the valley, Noah just wants to be like everyone else. But he’s not. Nightmares of murder and death plague him, though he does his best to hide the signs. But when the world around him begins to spiral toward panic and destruction, Noah discovers that people have been lying to him his whole life. Everything changes in an eye blink.
For the planet has a bigger problem. The Anvil, an enormous asteroid threatening all life on Earth, leaves little room for two troubled teens. Yet on her sixteenth birthday, as she cowers in her bedroom, hoping not to die for the fifth time, Min has had enough. She vows to discover what is happening in Fire Lake and uncovers a lifetime of lies: a vast conspiracy involving the sixty-four students of her sophomore class, one that may be even more sinister than the murders.
After reading book series like In The Company of Killers, I’m used to a tad of darkness in fiction. The synopsis for Nemesis is unquestionably dark. Some suit-clad guy kills the same girl every two years on her birthday. Yes, you read right: he murders her more than once. Evidently, the girl comes back to life somehow. This is as compelling a synopsis as it gets. What could possibly be the reason behind these murders? That’s what drew me to Nemesis. I wanted to find out what was going on.
The girl in question is Melinda “Min” Wilder, the protagonist. She’s sixteen when the book starts. It’s an odd-numbered birthday, so the man in a suit shows up as expected. Whoever he is, he kills Min yet again. And like before, she comes back completely unharmed. Min lets the reader know more about her murders. The man in the suit always succeeds, no matter what Min does. Why doesn’t anyone (like her mother) know about this? Well, the first two times Min told people about her deaths, they dismissed it, even the sheriff. Then a shrink told Min the experiences weren’t real. She’s been seeing the doctor ever since, and kept quiet about the murders.
Min has a best friend, Tack. They’re the inseparable kind of friends, akin to Harry and Hermione or Clary and Simon. The two are sophomores and live in a tiny Idaho town called Fire Lake. Min and Tack lead pretty normal teen lives (apart from the murders, which Tack has no idea about). They have to put up with the requisite school bully, Ethan. Min has a short fuse, which leads her to make a reckless decision at one point. It was quite shocking to me. Tack covers it up, which shows how faithful he is to Min. There doesn’t seem to be any romance brewing between them, though. I doubt it’d improve the story if Min and Tack became an item.
Shortly after Tack is introduced, Nemesis reveals another strange plot point. There’s an asteroid nicknamed The Anvil, and it’s seemingly on a collision course with Earth. This Anvil is a potential planet-killer. Everyone is anxiously waiting for a NASA live announcement that will answer whether the Anvil is striking Earth or not. Min’s mind is so busy wrapping itself around her murders that she barely even cares about the potential end of the world. But what does an asteroid have to do with a suited man who kills the same girl over and over? That’s one of the biggest questions in Nemesis.
The second protagonist is Noah. He is also a sophomore but doesn’t run in Min’s and Tack’s circles. Also, whereas Min lives in a trailer park, Noah is from one of the wealthiest families in Fire Lake. Min and Noah have something in common, though. Min’s investigation into what’s behind her murders (and resurrections) leads her to Noah. It seems he’s involved, but Min has no idea how. She’s relentless, so she eventually uncovers more truths about a mysterious government program. By this point I was still trying to guess what Nemesis is about. I had a few ideas in mind, but still.
When Min and Noah discover the truth about Nemesis, it surprised me. I did not see that coming. I made a few correct guesses, but the big picture? Nope. I’d never even dreamed about the…astronomical idea behind Nemesis. The truth (as well as the fates of the characters) raised more questions, though. The grand plan also has a few eyebrow-raising aspects. Why Fire Lake? And why are kids involved? I wouldn’t say the ending was underwhelming, though. The betrayal was particularly shocking. I’m definitely reading the next books to find out what happens next.
My rating: ★★★★★
5 stars - Absolutely must-read. It's outstanding!!!
