Dark Divide

by Sonja Stone

Overview

Hogwarts meets The Bourne Identity at Desert Mountain Academy, the covert CIA training school where Nadia Riley's harrowing adventures continue.

At a boarding school that serves as a cover for a CIA Black Ops training facility, nothing ever stays quiet for long. With the trials of first semester behind her, sixteen-year-old Nadia Riley returns to Desert Mountain Academy to complete her junior year with as little drama as possible--but Nadia's very first survival course takes a terrifying turn when she realizes she is being tracked--and her pursuer is none other than ex-recruit and traitor Damon Moore.

In this exciting follow up to Desert Dark, which Booklist noted would be appreciated by Marie Lu's Legend series or James Dashner's Maze Runner trilogy, Dark Divide's heart-pounding plot is woven through the alternate perspectives of a diverse cast of characters. Nadia learns that Damon needs her help to protect someone he loves, and is shocked to find that she's inclined to help him. But how much can she really trust a guy who was once tasked to kill her?

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780823438365
Publisher:	Holiday House
Publication date:	07/31/2018
Series:	A Desert Dark Novel Series , #2
Pages:	384
Sales rank:	291,770
Product dimensions:	5.70(w) x 7.90(h) x 1.40(d)
Age Range:	12 Years

About the Author

SONJA STONE collected intel on psychology and creative writing at Washington College, trained at Le Cordon Bleu for a cover job as head pastry chef, and completed a solo course at the same survival school where Tom Hanks prepared for Cast Away. This is her second novel.

Editorial Reviews

07/01/2018
Gr 9 Up—This sequel to Desert Dark doubles down on intrigue by deep-diving into the intricacies of conspiracies and the fallout of secrets. Nadia Riley just wants to put last semester's betrayals behind her as she continues training at Desert Mountain Academy, a CIA black ops boarding school. In between lessons at the dojo and classes on psychological warfare, former teammate Damon Moore drops a bombshell into Nadia's lap—her father is not who he says he is. Damon promises further insight, but he has own agenda and is not to be trusted. Fellow team members Simon, Libby, and Alan are, in the meantime, running training missions for leader Jack that may have real-world implications. This is structured around flash-forwards and flashbacks, alternating among Nadia, her teammates, Damon, and Jack. The multiple viewpoints add intriguing layers to the spy narrative, but some readers may get whiplash from the frequent plot twists. The continued emphasis on Nadia as a focal point from the first installment feels a bit forced until the latter half of the book reveals her ultimate importance. New and returning readers will appreciate the beginning's debriefing on past events as well as explanations of espionage terms like tiger kidnapping and Stockholm syndrome within the book. Give this novel to teens that crave brisk, action-heavy intrigue and don't mind realistic violence. VERDICT Purchase for libraries where Stone's first book saw popularity and where spy thrillers circulate well.—Pearl Derlaga, York County Public Library, VA

School Library Journal

2018-04-30
The perilous intricacies of espionage run deeper than ever in this high-octane sequel.After a harrowing and nearly fatal start to junior year, Nadia Riley returns along with her team of fellow teens, Jack, Libby, Alan, and brazen new student Simon, for their second semester at Desert Mountain Academy. No sooner do things get back to normal— "normal" being relative in a CIA black ops training program—than the threats and the traitor, Damon Moore, from the start of the year return. Damon is desperate for Nadia's help—so desperate that he is willing to share information about impending dangers and truths that will shatter the world as Nadia knows it. Stone (Desert Dark, 2016) holds true to her diverse cast of teens (Irish-Lebanese-American Nadia, dark-skinned Damon, Israeli-American Alan, and neurodivergent Libby are joined by out-and-audacious Simon). The alternating third-person narration is used to explore the individual plot intrigues surrounding each team member, not only showcasing fascinating and lethal minutiae of intelligence operations, but also exploring the complex web of secrets that intertwines each individual with their family and each other. Character development and beyond-stereotype representations are sacrificed for hairpin plot twists and heart-stopping tension as the narrative barrels toward a conclusion that reveals explosive secrets. While a strong spy narrative, the inclusion of diverse identities here is not well-crafted, unfortunately reinforcing negative representation.A jaw-dropping second installment ready for a third. (Thriller. 12-16)

Kirkus Reviews

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