First published 2019
J lives with twenty-five other boys at a remote academy buried deep in the woods. Their mysterious founder trains them as prodigies in art, science, and athletics. The boys know nothing beyond their forest prison and consider the founder their father. J begins questioning why they cannot leave and what lies beyond the pine trees. He suspects their father hides something crucial from them. Across the forest, K attends a similar school with twenty-five other girls. She asks the same forbidden questions about their confinement. Neither J nor K knows the opposite sex exists. As both students investigate their strange schools, they uncover the truth about their separation. Their discoveries lead them toward each other and toward understanding the real purpose behind their isolated education.
Genres: science-fiction, dystopia, adventure, mystery, academic
Vibes: intimate, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: found-family, unreliable-narrator
Setting: Forest, Pine Trees, Remote Academy
Period: Contemporary
387 pages · Kindle Edition · Del Rey
Content warnings: child-abuse, emotional-abuse