Eve of Destruction

Gr 5 Up—In this follow-up to Dark Eden (HarperCollins, 2011), Will Besting returns to Fort Eden at the behest of cranky old Mrs. Goring. Threatening to reveal secrets that could jeopardize Will's relationship with Marisa, the woman pushes her advantage and convinces Will to lure all of Rainsford's former victims back to the abandoned military installation where they were all "cured." Now suffering from inexplicable and debilitating side effects, the kids are promised what they desire most from Goring: a true cure that will return them to 100 percent normal. Sent to the depths of the base to retrieve mysterious vials that hold the key to their salvation, Will begins to suspect Goring's motives when she locks them all inside. To his horror, he discovers that Rainsford and the missing wayward member of their group, Avery, are locked beneath Fort Eden as well. While much of the ominous atmosphere is maintained from the first book, this sequel fails to provide the same high-stakes eeriness of the original. Carman's descriptions of the underground labyrinth where most of the story is set tend to be more confusing than evocative, and the fact that Rainsford and Avery pop up halfway through the novel with no explanation of how or why they got there may baffle many readers. Still, fans of the original will no doubt enjoy this book, which satisfyingly concludes Rainsford's wicked hold over his seven original victims.—Ryan Donovan, New York Public Library