Named “Best Book of 2021” by Kirkus Reviews
“An eerie, immersive page-turner that immediately grips readers” - Starred Review, Kirkus Reviews
“Thought-provoking, genre-savvy work of speculative fiction” - Publishers Weekly
In a haunting, genre-bending YA, award-winning author Lilliam Rivera explores the social and racial ramifications of an alien invasion from the perspective of three Latinx teens.
Pedro, Luna, and Rafa may attend Fairfax High School together in Los Angeles, but they run in separate spheres. Pedro is often told that he's "too much" and seeks refuge from his home life in a local drag bar. Luna is pretending to go along with the popular crowd but is still grieving the unexpected passing of her beloved cousin Tasha. Then there's Rafa, the quiet new kid who is hiding the fact that his family is homeless.
But Pedro, Luna, and Rafa find themselves thrown together when an extraterrestrial visitor lands in their city and takes the form of Luna's cousin Tasha. As the Visitor causes destruction wherever it goes, the three teens struggle to survive and warn others of what's coming--because this Visitor is only the first of many. But who is their true enemy--this alien, or their fellow humans? Can Pedro, Luna, and Rafa find a way to save a world that has repeatedly proven it doesn't want to save them?
Pura Belpré Honor-winning author Lilliam Rivera examines the days before a War of the Worlds-inspired alien invasion in this captivating and chilling new novel.
“Thought-provoking SFF novel” - Publisher’s Weekly
“Must-Read New Book” - Bustle
“Why it is important for teens to see themselves in fiction” - Women’s Media Center
“Belpré Honoree Lilliam Rivera’s bibliography to date traverses the spectrum of genres, shifting into new territory…with deftness and ease.” - Publisher’s Weekly
“What if three kids from different social spheres bond during an alien invasion?” - Cosmopolitan
“Lilliam Rivera puts a refreshing new spin on the old alien invasion trope.” - Popsugar
“For Rivera, tragedy and laughter sit next to each other.” - Shelf Awareness
“Definitely worth picking up!” - Buzzfeed
“More than just a riveting alien-invasion story, though this novel deftly weaves commentary on colonialism, police violence, and racial injustice into the chaos, leaving the main characters to wonder if the only people worth saving may be one another.” - Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books
“This book is for right now, especially those navigating losses from COVID-19, seeing the injustices of our current systems, feeling the planets change, needing so much more from our schools and community, learning to fight the future they deserve through their grief.” - adrienne marie brown, New York Times bestselling author
“A fresh, complex take on the alien invasion story…not to be missed.” - Amy Tintera, New York Times bestselling author
“A triumphant work of sci-fi and heart.” - Kalynn Bayron, bestselling author of Cinderella is Dead
“An unflinching look at a Los Angeles that already feels dystopian to marginalized communities.” - Zoraida Cordova, award-winning author of Labyrinth Lost
"A brilliant, powerful and yet tender and healing story.” - Yamile Saied Méndez, author of the Pura Belpré Award-winning novel Furia
"A marvelous story about how we are all being flung into the future unprepared, and have to hang together as best we can.” - Kim Stanley Robinson, New York Times bestselling author