Endangered

A YA Thriller, ENDANGERED has a deadly hunt for a killer. It centers around a dangerous game between cat and mouse, a power play that always shifts (almost) never in favor of the mouse. The mouse, Panda (real name: Lauren Daniels) is the "superhero" (with no special powers other than her gift for photography). Her brand new stalker/killer is the cat.

The conflict is straightforward. Panda takes photos of her classmates doing incredibly wrong things (e.g. stealing) and puts the proof onto her blog anonymously. After a night of taking those very compromising photos, Panda herself is being blackmailed by a "fan" of her alter ego, Gray. In the beginning, it is all fun and games until the game changes and someone ends up dead. Panda, now realizing what's at stake, is driven to find the identity of her stalker-turned-killer before another body ends up at the morgue.

Starting off in a light tone, ENDANGERED entices me easily and draws me into the world with its amazing lead character and twisty plot. Like I said before, it is all fun and games until a dead body shows up. Then the tone shifts and the book becomes darker and darker with a lot of suspense. The plot begins innocently enough, creeping silently towards the darker path. Lamar Giles takes me by surprise, and boy, ENDANGERED is definitely a good thriller.

The only narrator, Panda, is my favorite character (or should I say, superhero?) in this book. As the superhero of the story, she is not like Superman and much more similar to Batman. By day, she is a regular student in photography class. By night, a vigilante who seeks to exact her vengeance on those who deserve it. She is dynamic character, whose character development drives parts of the plot very well.

The identity of the killer has me puzzled from his/her debut in the early chapters. Giles is excellent at giving red herrings and a smart cunning villain with a deadly (and fascinating) streak. He completely blindside me when the truth figuratively drops from the sky. The mystery is the best part of the book, and I absolutely love how the stalker is five steps ahead of Panda.

The ending closes the book nicely and is totally satisfying. It concludes ENDANGERED and closes most (if not all) loose ends.

Overall, ENDANGERED is a suspenseful story of a girl stalked by a deadly stalker. The plot has a minor hole, but it doesn't affect the main story arc. ENDANGERED enrapture me from the start with a killing stalker and an awesome superhero. It is best for younger teens (14+), and I would recommend ENDANGERED to anyone who wants a good and suspenseful story.

Rating: Four out of Five