Book Review: Nemesis by Brandon Reichs

Nemesis
Author: Brandon Reichs
Series: Project Nemesis
Publication: G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers (March 21, 2017)

Description: 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.

My Thoughts: This is a science fiction story with elements of a thriller and elements of a dystopia. Min is sixteen and, on her even number birthdays, a man in black finds her and kills her. She awakes in a clearing as if nothing has happened. For the last few deaths, she has been keeping what happens a secret. She sees a psychiatrist every week and has since she was 10 or 12 who prescribes a little blue pill that she's supposed to take every day. Min wants to know who is killing her, why, and why her psychiatrist is trying to convince her it isn't happening. Min lives in the trailer court hidden from view in the small, isolated town of Fire Lake, Idaho, with her mother.

Noah Livingston also lives in Fire Lake. He is the neglected son of the richest man in town. Noah also dies on his even number birthdays but reacts much differently than Min. Noah suffers from anxiety. He also trusts his psychiatrist completely. Noah is on the fringes of the power crowd in his high school even though he is secretly attracted to Min who is more of a social outcast.

Min has a best friend named Tack who also lives in the trailer court with his alcoholic ex-Special Forces father who physically abuses him. Tack loves and idolizes his father. He's developed a smart mouth and irreverent attitude which puts him on the bad side of Ethan who is the school's top dog and resident bully.

As Min begins to investigate with the assistance of Tack, she comes upon more and more suspicious behaviors. Why has their school principal followed them from school to school and grade to grade? What is in the notes her psychiatrist takes after every session? What is going on with the medical treatments her whole class has been getting since they were six? What is going on in the secret military base outside of town?

The story is filled with all kinds of action as Min, Tack and sometimes Noah investigate. They learn that they are part of a secret project called Project Nemesis that has been going on for even longer than the ten years they've been part of the project.

Meanwhile, the Earth is facing an incredible danger from an asteroid that is on course to hit. The story begins with everyone waiting for the announcement to see if the asteroid will hit or miss Earth. People are relieved when they learn that the asteroid will miss. What they don't know is that Earth is in the path of many smaller asteroids that will hit and cause all sorts of damage and many deaths.

Someone has grooming Min, Noah and their 62 classmates of the sophomore class to survive.

This story was exciting and I can see how teens would be drawn in by the mystery and the action. I was drawn in too. I am, however, filled with questions that would be spoilers to list. I'm eager to see what happens next as the story continues in GENESIS.

Favorite Quote:

Here's another thing about me.

I'm not afraid of much. Not after what I've been through.

And I forgive as little as I forget.

I bought this one. You can buy your copy here.