E-book
The Special Ones
Record details
- ISBN: 9781328699039
- ISBN: 132869903X
- ISBN: 9780544912298 (hardcover)
- ISBN: 0544912292 (hardcover)
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Physical Description:
electronic resource
remote
1 online resource. - Publisher: Boston : Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2017.
- Copyright: ©2016
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| Genre: | Electronic books. Fiction. |
Electronic resources
- Booklist Reviews : Booklist Reviews 2017 July #1
*Starred Review* Esther's spent the last two years confined to an isolated farmhouse with no running water, no privacy, and no escape. Esther and her fellow prisoners are "Special Ones," alleged reincarnations of four immortal beings, and they must play their parts with painstaking accuracy. They'd better: their anonymous captor ("him") is watching, gaping through cameras, administering "verifications," and remotely regulating Internet chats between his captives and flocks of Special One devotees. Minor "failings" mean punishment, while bigger blunders mean "renewal," with atrocities executed not by the captor but by the prisoners themselves. This exhausting show has kept Esther alive, but as order in the farmhouse crumbles, so too does her complacent facade. Dread snakes through every inch of this psychological thriller, and Bailey crafts characters with precision, unspooling complex character motivations (including those of "him"), and, in heroine Esther, delivering a disquieting blend of uncertainty and glorious defiance. Bailey's sophomore effort is not without faultâone plot device strains credulityâbut taut prose, a slick story line, and more than a few startling twists will leave readers mesmerized. Exploring the muddy boundaries between compliance and choice, captivity and freedom, Bailey also manages to depict not only evil but also the minuscule moments of good that flicker alongside and in spite of it. Striking, subversive, and loaded with as much heart-pounding horror as heart. Copyright 2017 Booklist Reviews. - Horn Book Guide Reviews : Horn Book Guide Reviews 2018 Spring
In this hair-raising Australian import, the Special Ones live on a secluded farm, brainwashed into believing they have been reincarnated; their main task is providing spiritual guidance to their internet followers. A sharp (clearly intentional) midpoint plot-turn helps define the book as an affecting study of psychological manipulation and emotional resilience. Bailey's latest thriller features an impressively eerie tone, goosebumps-inducing atmosphere, and genuine surprises. Copyright 2017 Horn Book Guide Reviews. - Horn Book Magazine Reviews : Horn Book Magazine Reviews 2017 #4
In this hair-raising Australian import, Esther's unnerving first-person voice introduces the Special Ones. She, Harry, Lucille, and Felicity live on a secluded farm, brainwashed into believing they have been reincarnated, and where they are forced to perform antiquated chores and cultish rituals under constant surveillance by an unseen him. Yet despite the old-timey lifestyle, the Special Ones' main task is providing spiritual guidance to their internet followers, a seeming anachronism that deepens the creepiness. As stoic Esther reveals snippets about her pre-Special Ones life, her forbidden attraction to Harry, and, especially, her fear of him, readers' empathy for her builds. And though Esther's complicity in the "collection" (kidnapping) and "reintroduction" (brainwashing) of a new prisoner after Lucille is "renewed" (at best, reentering the world; at worst, killed) is disturbing, it evinces his control over her. Esther is devastated when Harry is renewed, but soon after comes her own renewal notice, leading to a dramatic shift in events--and in the narrative. Though this sharp midpoint plot-turn makes the novel feel like two different stories, the shift is clearly intentional and helps define the book as an affecting study of psychological manipulation and emotional resilience. Bailey's (Shift, rev. 5/12) latest thriller features an impressively eerie tone, goosebumps-inducing atmosphere, and genuine surprises. katrina hedeen Copyright 2017 Horn Book Magazine Reviews. - Kirkus Reviews : Kirkus Reviews 2017 May #2
A teenage girl struggles to survive as one of four young spiritual guides held captive by a mysterious cult leader in this chiller from Australia.Esther lives on a secluded farm with three other young people, all of whom are allowed varying degrees of freedom to move about the farm. Esther is not allowed to leave the front porch of the farmhouse, ever. She knows she's being watched at all times by him, a demanding and cruel unnamed captor who holds Esther and the others against their will, forcing them to portray the Special Ones, virtual spiritual guides for people seeking self-improvement. (The Special Ones are all white.) Followers of The Special Ones tune in nightly via internet chat to ask for advice, but Esther knows that she and the others are faking. They're just regular kids. But if they don't follow his weird and ritualistic rules, they risk punishment. The ultimate punishment is "renewal"âbeing taken away from the farm and never seen again. As daily survival becomes more challenging, the pressure mounts for Esther to keep up the ruse or face the uncertainty of renewal and his judgment. Riveting from the very first chapter, Esther's story is unpredictable and chilling, her narration viscerally revealing the quiet terrors of captivity and brainwashing. The Special Ones don't really have any special wisdom, but the charactersâeven himâare unforgettable. A complex, enthralling page-turner. (Thriller. 12-17) Copyright Kirkus 2017 Kirkus/BPI Communications. All rights reserved. - School Library Journal Reviews : SLJ Reviews 2017 April
Gr 9 UpâThe Special Ones are always being watched. That's why Esther has to work so hard to play her part. If He finds out she's not really Special, he'll renew her and she'll be replaced. No one knows what happens to the ones who are renewed, so Esther plays her part each day and answers questions from the followers each night. There are four Special Ones living on a remote farm, insulated from the evils that lurk in the outside world, such as Police Officers, Security Guards, and parentsâevil people who are all waiting to force the four of them to reenter lives that aren't really theirs. This modern-day psychological thriller is as gripping and intense as Gillian Flynn's Gone Girl or Paula Hawkins's The Girl on the Train. Readers will anxiously look for clues that the four teenagers are not really as brainwashed as they seem and cheer when they're able to break away from their life of captivity. While the plot may require some suspension of disbelief, complex characters and well-written dialogue will keep readers turning pages until the breathtaking conclusion.
Copyright 2017 School Library Journal.VERDICT A must-have for YA collections, especially where thrillers are popular.âSunnie Scarpa, Wallingford Public Library, CT - Voice of Youth Advocates Reviews : VOYA Reviews 2017 June
The Special Ones are a group of four young people: Felicity, Lucille, Esther, and Harry. They live on a farm with no electricity and wear handmade clothing. At the same time, they have an online presence dispensing life advice. If one of them receives a "renewal" notice, she will disappear, to be replaced by a new version of herself. Harry kidnaps a new girl and the others help them "remember" their previous life as the person who is being renewed. Sometimes hair gets changed or colored contact lenses are used to preserve the look. An unknown "He" is a constant threat as he listens to and watches them 24/7. After two years, the Harry and Esther get their renewal notices. What will happen next? Renewed ones are never seen again, and Esther suspects they are killed. Once they have been renewed, Harry and Esther head straight to the police station, where support for Esther quickly sours as she reveals she had gone with Harry willingly. Esther (now back to Tess) struggles to come to terms with her life before the farm and to save the older renewed ones she now believes are still alive. "He" is also looking for "Esther," wanting her back. This title is gratifyingly creepy and tense. The reader is constantly reworking theories as more information is revealed. Just who is Harry? Who is the omnipotent "He?" Readers will wonder how far they would go to survive. Some aspects strain credibility: why did Tess not get any emotional support sooner; and why do the police not believe her and start searching for the older renewed ones? These issues do not deter from the reading, however. The pacing, well developed characters, and vivid narration keep the reader intent on learning who "He" is and solving the twisted, suspenseful mystery of brainwashing and captivity. Give this to readers who want chills.âSharon Martin. 4Q 4P J S Copyright 2017 Voya Reviews.
