Out of Body

Seventeen-year-old pianist Megan Allen, who lives in an Atlanta suburb, idolizes her charismatic new best friend LC—until she wakes up in a different body and realizes that LC has stolen hers. Forced to live as a stranger named Jade, she scrambles to find a way to make LC switch them back, only to learn that there may be a sinister conspiracy at play. Now, Megan must integrate herself into Jade’s life and track down LC to uncover her motivations, tasks that prove more complicated than expected. Worse still, LC’s enemies relentlessly pursue Megan, and she’s losing all sense of who she used to be. Jade’s backstory as well as some character interactions feel under- developed. In comparison, LC’s complex characterization and Megan’s gradual empathy for her plight are rewarding and thoughtfully rendered. Davenport (the Blood Gift Duology, for adults) utlizes powerful social commentary surrounding agency and living as a Black teen in contemporary society coupled with Megan’s burgeoning self-confidence and rapid pacing to keep the pages turning toward an open-ended yet gratifying conclusion. Megan, LC, and Jade are Black. Ages 14–up. Agent: Chelsea Eberly, Greenhouse Literary. (Feb.) ■