Hearts Still Beating

January 22, 2024
A zombie apocalypse complicates two queer teens’ burgeoning romance in Archer’s affecting, adrenaline-fueled debut. Shortly after best friends Mara Knight and Rory Blake first kiss, the Letalis Tichnosis virus sweeps the globe, turning those it infects into mindless flesh-eating monsters dubbed Ticks. The girls get separated when their respective families flee San Diego, only to reconnect three years later, at 17, on the Island, a settlement off California’s coast. In exchange for much-needed antibiotics, the Island agrees to house 15 of the Altered—Letalis Tichnosis survivors whose homicidal urges are largely suppressed by an experimental drug. Rory’s family is still reeling from her sister’s death following a Tick attack, so Rory is deeply conflicted upon learning that an orphaned Mara is part of the Island’s new Altered population and will be living with the Blakes. Things get even murkier when the Island’s self-proclaimed, virulently anti-Tick leader starts targeting the Altered and their hosts. The resolution feels pat and some secondary characters lack depth, but escalating stakes, nuanced plotting, and a visceral first-person-present narrative that alternates between the emotionally complex protagonists’ POVs combine for a gratifying read. The boldly drawn cast is intersectionally diverse. Ages 14–up. Agent: Penelope Burns, Gelfman Schneider.