Shift

Narrator Olive doesn't really believe the rumors that Miranda killed her own parents--but something's definitely off. The evil new girl is a familiar type in thrillers, but Australian author Bailey adds the intriguing possibility that Miranda's talent for slowly sucking the life out of those she befriends is literal. Readers will enjoy puzzling through what's real and what isn't.

On the toxic friend scale, Miranda Vaile is a strychnine smoothie. Narrator Olive doesn’t really believe the rumor that Miranda killed her own parents, but from the first time she sees her, she senses that something’s off. "I recoiled like I’d been stung. I’d never seen eyes like hers before. The pupils seemed to be made of metal, hard and brightly polished." The evil new girl is a familiar type in thrillers. Nonetheless, Australian author Bailey adds the intriguing possibility that Miranda’s talent for slowly sucking the life out of those she befriends is literal. Perhaps she is a parasitic shapeshifter who will, according to the website Olive finds, "‘latch’ on to people (generally those with strong personalities) and slowly drain them of their vitality and spirit" -- in this case, Olive’s ex-friend and former "partner in bitchiness," high school queen bee Katie; and then Olive herself. Olive has her own secrets, including an "Incident" serious enough to land her in treatment and on meds, but at least her best friend Ami looks out for her -- until, in another effective twist, Ami turns out to be not what she seems. Readers will be riveted by the slow reveal of the many mysteries (the whereabouts of Olive’s father; the nature of the "Incident"; Ami’s identity) and will enjoy puzzling through what’s real and what isn’t -- trying to figure out if Miranda poses a supernatural threat or if her powers are entirely human, which almost makes them scarier. christine m. heppermann