Fade To Blue by Sean Beaudoin

Sophie Blue and Kenny Fade (he'd like to make sure you know that it's pronounced Fa-DAY) are on opposite ends of the spectrum. While Sophie endures being the outcast of Upheare High School, Kenny is living the high life. As the Upheare Toro's star basketball player, paramour of the head cheerleader Dayna Daynes, and an all-around nice guy, he is worshiped by the majority of the school's population. Both have irritating, red scars on their elbows. Both know a strange woman in white called Rose Fade, or sometimes "La Nutrika". After Kenny collapses and dies following a basketball game, he ends up in neither heaven nor hell, but a vacuum store in space. He spins a wheel, drinks a can of the popular soft drink Sour White, and is returned to Upheare High School. Only this time, he's not Kenny. From zombie attacks to trips to the virtual world, will Sophie finally figure out what happened to her father? What is the Virtuality? And will Sophie's arm ever stop itching?

Fade to Blue is a mind-boggling patchwork of twists and turns. The book begins with a snarky, sarcastic bang, and then the reader is sent off on an evil speeding truck of confusion through this dense novel. Sophie and her younger brother, Kenny 'O.S.' Blue, seemed to be the only 3-D personalities throughout the story. I believe the author wrote them this way on purpose, not only to develop the storyline, but also to offer a commentary on how teens see their lives. Giving the secondary characters simple, repetitive names like Dayna Daynes and Aaron Agar only served to accentuate this. From the very beginning, we can feel Sophie's confusion and anger, and we are amazed at how her mind retains its ferocity throughout the trials she goes through. The author only gives us information when he thinks we need it, and keeps us coming back for more. We have to not only find the puzzle pieces, but follow the trail and put them together at the same time. As a reader, the constant point-of-view switching was jarring and more than a little disorienting, but it was something I got used to over time. I found the graphic novel comic book interlude to not only be helpful to the plot, but also very mentally refreshing. It's not often that an author can pull something like that off in such a short novel. I would recommend reading this book twice, just in case you missed a connection the first time around. An amazing, confusing, and exhilarating read.

Reviewer Age: 17

Reviewer City, State and Country: Shoreview, Minnesota USA