Illusive by Emily Lloyd-Jones (review)

A newly developed vaccine seems like the perfect solution for a deadly, widespread virus, but the inoculation turns out to cause superpowers in a small number of the recipients. If you are one of those who are now immune and boasting new abilities, then you can be certain that someone is going to try to exploit them. There are criminals who consider themselves on the moral high ground, and cops who more resemble villains, and then there is Ciere, a seventeen-year-old illusionist whose power has been mostly blocked since the death of her mother. Whether it will come back in time to save her beloved adopted family isn’t clear, but Ciere is determined to protect those she loves, whether or not she can do it by faking out the world with impressive illusions or just by fighting like hell instead. The occasionally languid pace doesn’t mesh perfectly with the sharp action plot, but those moments do offer insight into Ciere’s complexities, and she is a deeply sympathetic protagonist. Offer this to fans of Moore’s V Is for Villain (BCCB 5/14); they’ll enjoy a new look at superpowers the hands of teens too smart to trust the grownups who clearly have no clue how to manage a changed society.