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From Horn Book

November 1, 2024
Kincade Webster, a Black star wide receiver for the mostly white Neeson Preparatory Academy in Virginia, has ambitions of attending The Ohio State University and going on to the NFL. He puts up with racism at his school (and online) and tries to keep his head in the game. But when he takes the bus home one day, a white woman accuses him of grabbing her, and fellow passengers take her side, causing Cade to make a quick exit. Ducking into a pawn shop (where, unbeknownst to Cade, otherworldly forces are at work), he says to the shopkeeper, "I wish everyone would stop acting so scared around me." This wish sends Cade on an unwanted and terrifying journey on the Ruin Road between life and death and an association with his neighborhood's evil slumlord Arvin Skinner, who long ago made a bargain with the Night Merchant: years would be added to Skinner's life in return for Skinner's causing pain and suffering to others (including murder). Skinner's influence is now everywhere in Cade's life, endangering him, his friends, his neighborhood, and Neeson Prep. Giles's horror thriller is expertly crafted and indeed truly horrifying, weaving many threads into this tapestry of evil: Cade's father's lung cancer; violence by the local gang; bomb threats called in to his school; issues of racism, wealth and privilege, and family. Pair this with Giles's The Getaway (rev. 11/22) for a double-header of evil and mayhem. Dean Schneider

(Copyright 2024 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

From School Library Journal

October 11, 2024

Gr 9 Up-Giles's latest work serves up a cautionary tale. Cade Webster IV is a senior and star receiver at Neeson Preparatory Academy. But he bristles at the isolation and stigma of being a Black student at a wealthy and mostly white private school. Boosters brush aside his intelligence by saying he's "well spoken," and teammates with private planes and luxury cars are a stark contrast to Cade's daily bus ride and the gang violence in his neighborhood. So when Cade finds himself hiding in a bizarre (if not otherworldly) pawn shop after a mistaken accusation of theft, his declaration of wishing people would stop being scared of him fits his frustrations. But what Cade soon realizes is that his wish has become an actual bargain with the pawn shop owner, and while some of the initial effects seem positive, sinister contours emerge that threaten Cade, his friends, and his family. In the foreword, Giles declares his intention to explore the twisted nature of people who profit from others' suffering, and it is frequently on display in the book. Gang violence, online harassment, and the sinister history of antagonist Arvin Skinner are the biggest examples. But the intensity of violence at Cade's Senior Night, while necessary for the conclusion, may disturb younger readers. VERDICT Though there are occasional struggles to fit the narrative within the specificity of Cade's wish, Giles's story is a great combination of thriller and horror that will appeal to a wide audience. Recommended.-Michael Van Wambeke

Copyright 2024 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

From Booklist

Starred review from August 1, 2024
Grades 9-12 *Starred Review* Cade Webster lives for football. His talent as a receiver is his chance to help his family escape a neighborhood rife with gangs and poverty. When he chances upon a mysterious pawn shop, he's drawn to buy a replica Super Bowl ring to inspire himself and his teammates. Except he soon finds that the ring has a strange effect--it inspires bravery in others. At first it seems positive: his teammates gain the resolve to execute plays with no fear, a friend becomes confident enough to stop hiding her singing talents. But soon, this courage turns to recklessness as people around Cade lose all their inhibitions. When his life descends into chaos, he seeks out the person at the root of it all--the slumlord who owns his neighborhood, a man named Skinner, who may have larger plans for Cade than mere football. Cade is a complex character; Giles infuses the teen's story with nuance stemming from the socioeconomic stratification that segments his everyday life. Giles creates likable and memorable characters in a small amount of space, allowing him to expertly pace the story while juggling many different characters (and multiple points of view). This book absolutely delivers as a Twilight Zone-style spine--tingler that's almost impossible to put down.

COPYRIGHT(2024) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

From Publisher's Weekly

Starred review from July 15, 2024
Black high school senior and football star Cade Webster has his life mapped out: attend college on a sports scholarship, get drafted into the NFL, and use his resulting fame to vacate his family from their gang-run neighborhood in Virginia. After anonymous threats lead to football games being canceled and his father's cancer seemingly worsens, Cade's future feels uncertain. While purchasing a Super Bowl ring from a timid cashier at a pawn shop, Cade laments that he "wished everyone would stop acting so scared around me." Soon, people start behaving differently around Cade. It appears as if everyone has begun acting without fear; his shy friend Gabby isn't afraid to sing, and his father and younger sister leave for a vacation despite their previous reluctance. But when people start doing dangerous things, Cade must decide what he's willing to sacrifice to save his loved ones. This edge-of-the-seat thriller uses occult horror elements to explore racism, classism, family, and grief. Cade's struggle between wanting to save his friends and family while also securing his own future is gripping, making this a genre-bending adventure that will leave readers wanting more. Ages 12—up.

From Kirkus

Starred review from July 15, 2024
A star football player makes a life-changing wish that comes to haunt him. Kincade Webster III attends high school on an athletic scholarship--he's one of the few Black students at the exclusive, mostly white Neeson Preparatory Academy in Virginia. With his dad dying of lung cancer, Cade dreams of making it in the NFL so that he'll be able to support his mom and younger sister. He also wants to someday help his childhood best friend, Booker, and Booker's sister, Gabby, leave their neighborhood of Jacobs Court. Meanwhile, the school's football games are frequently being canceled due to anonymous bomb threats. Fearing for his own safety after a white woman on the bus misinterprets Cade's helpful gesture as criminal and riles up an angry crowd, he flees, ending up hiding from the police in a pawn shop. Following a strange interaction with the eccentric shopkeeper, Cade utters the fateful words, "I wish everyone would stop acting so scared around me," thus triggering a series of chaotic, otherworldly consequences and leading him to Ruin Road, or "the road between realms." Giles' robust descriptions of the setting and nuanced characterization provide this intricately plotted story with incredible depth. Occasional perspective shifts deftly flesh out the landscape of suspenseful supernatural elements, and abhorrent acts of racism bring a sobering sense of reality to this magic-filled story. A riveting thriller that seamlessly incorporates powerful social themes.(Paranormal thriller. 14-18)

COPYRIGHT(2024) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

From AudioFile Magazine

JD Jackson's deep, strong voice captures the confidence of Cade Webster, one of few Black students at his prep school and a talented football receiver on an athletic scholarship. Jackson's robust narration shows Cade's strong desire for fame, which would allow his family to escape a neighborhood beset by gangs and poverty. When Cade comes across a curious pawn shop, he buys a replica Super Bowl ring and makes a wish that changes everything. As he faces the man behind the magic, a slumlord who rules his neighborhood, Jackson's voice remains powerful. In this complex performance, Jackson balances scary supernatural elements with Cade's emotions at his father's death and the racism and classism around him. S.W. © AudioFile 2024, Portland, Maine