Blacklist

Gr 10 Up—In this follow-up to Unrivaled, A-lister Madison Brooks has gone missing and is presumed dead. Aster Amirpour, the Unrivaled Nightclub Contest winner, is the number one suspect. Convinced that Aster is innocent, Layla, Tommy, and Ryan team up to help her clear her name. However, Layla finds herself ensnared in an elaborate plot to expose the "real Madison Brooks." After receiving a series of threatening letters and fragments of Madison's past life, Layla soon learns that Aster and Madison aren't the only ones whose lives are in jeopardy. Although it is unclear why someone is intent on dismantling Madison's carefully constructed image, what is obvious is that Aster, Tommy, Layla, and Ryan are running out of time to save Madison and vindicate Aster. This second installment picks up where the first volume left off and reveals the vulnerabilities of the characters either loved or loathed in Unrivaled. Whereas the previous entry reveled in the excess and dog-eat-dog world inhabited by the teens, in Blacklist the setting is the background for a good old-fashioned whodunit. The scandalous, gossipy tone of the first book is underscored as the teens grapple with the underbelly of fame, notoriety, and the realization that nothing is as it seems. Like its predecessor, this is a suspenseful page-turner that is teasingly addictive; it works as a stand-alone entry in the series and as a worthwhile sequel.