Title: Spinner
Author: Michael J. Bowler
Genre: Young Adult, Thriller, Supernatural
Rating: 5 stars
Purchase: Amazon
Review copy provided by the auhtor in exchange for an honest review.
Fifteen-year-old Alex is a “spinner.” His friends are “dummies.” Two clandestine groups of humans want his power. And an ancient evil is stalking him. If people weren’t being murdered, Alex might laugh at how his life turned into a horror movie overnight.
In a wheelchair since birth, his freakish ability has gotten him kicked out of ten foster homes since the age of four. Now saddled with a sadistic housemother who uses his spinning to heal the kids she physically abuses, Alex and his misfit group of learning disabled classmates are the only ones who can solve the mystery of his birth before more people meet a gruesome end.
They need to find out who murdered their beloved teacher, and why the hot young substitute acts like she’s flirting with them. Then there’s the mysterious medallion that seems to have unleashed something malevolent, and an ancient prophecy suggesting Alex has the power to destroy humanity.
The boys break into homes, dig up graves, elude kidnappers, fight for their lives against feral cats, and ultimately confront an evil as old as humankind. Friendships are tested, secrets uncovered, love spoken, and destiny revealed.
The kid who’s always been a loner will finally learn the value of friends, family, and loyalty.
If he survives…
I have to admit, I accepted Spinner for review because the main character has a disability, and we don’t see that often in YA, especially not in a YA thriller. But I also liked the idea of spinners, the ancient evil, humans out stalking him for his powers, and basically, everything about the book sounded great. I was a little nervous to read it because I had high expectations, but boy, I certainly wasn’t dissapointed.
A spinner is a person with a healing ability. Unfortunately Alex can’t use that to heal himself. He’s stuck to a wheelchair and has been since birth. On top of that he’s in the foster system, and his current foster parent is a sadistic woman who physically abuses the kids in her care. But unfortunately that’s not the end of Alex’s troubles yet. His teacher is murdered, an ancient evil is unleashed, and it’s up to Alex and his classmates, a self-proclaimed group of misfits to find out who is behind the murder and how to stop the unleashed evil before it’s too late.
From the start, this was an amazing story, and it never becomes anything less than amazing. The cast of characters is great, the plot is enthralling, there were so many twists and turns that I had no idea whatsoever as to what would happen next, and the action never slows down. Despite everything that’s happening, there were some hilarious bits too where I even laughed out loud.
If you enjoy YA thrillers with a supernatural edge, then I highly recommend this book.
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