Kirkus
Copyright © Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

An innovative renewable energy facility turns out to have a sinister side. When Asher Doyle’s mom finds herself in inescapable, “terrifying debt,” his absentee father—a married senator with a vested interest in keeping Asher’s existence under wraps—has a solution. He’ll send Asher, who reads white, to live at the Factory, a top-secret experimental program ostensibly designed to create “Clean Energy for Future Generations!” by harnessing people’s electromagnetic energy. The program promises a fun, camplike experience for kids ages 11 to 15, and the compensation for Asher’s participation will help his mom and grandmother. Upon arrival, however, the participants are greeted by armed guards and steel fences topped with barbed wire, a significant contrast to the enthusiastic promotional materials. It quickly becomes clear that the Factory is dangerous and full of secrets. The staff won’t provide meaningful answers to questions, and not only does the extraction procedure appear unsafe; it’s also excruciatingly painful. As the procedures continue, kids start disappearing, and Asher and his new friends Faith, Vi, and Troy (cued Black, Chinese American, and Latine, respectively) find themselves in a race for survival. The central characters are rich and interesting, with deep motivations, and their friendships are compelling and emotional. Budding dystopian and science-fiction readers will thrill at this gripping, fast-paced story with a cliffhanger ending. A thrilling and complex beginning to what will surely be a sought-after series.(Dystopian. 10-14) Copyright © Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

School Library Journal
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Gr 4–6—Egan crafts a new science fiction novel with a suspenseful and original story. Thirteen-year-old Asher has grown up in a world wrecked by climate change and takes the chance to change his family's financial situation in a government-run experiment at a place known only as The Factory. There he joins a diverse group of youth desperate to earn income for their family. As kids start to suffer increasingly severe effects from the experiments, they must work together to find the truth and a way out. Egan does an excellent job of balancing worldbuilding, plot, and character development. The world presented through school lessons and character backstories is one of severe climate devastation and economic inequality. The cast of characters, primarily the children, is diverse in that it includes multiple ethnicities. While the point of view is Asher's, the other characters' histories, motivations, and personalities are developed enough that readers will be invested in them. This rich worldbuilding and character development carries through the slower paced first portion of the book until readers are rewarded with an increasingly fast-paced and tightly plotted final third that is hard to put down. The cliffhanger ending will leave readers eager for the next book. VERDICT Readers will devour this middle grade cli-fi adventure with excellent characters and a fascinating concept.—Elizabeth Nicolai

Book list
From Booklist, Copyright © American Library Association. Used with permission.

Asher is anxious about accepting a coveted spot at the Factory, but he doesn’t have much of a choice. Climate change has rocked the planet, and the Factory holds the promise of a good education, nourishing meals, and piles of money. The only requirement is that he take part in a top-secret renewable-energy experiment that focuses on harnessing energy from the human body. It quickly becomes obvious, though, that the Factory is more fortress than educational facility. Asher and a handful of newfound friends are certain that the program holds terrible secrets, and they’ll have to risk it all to reveal the truth and save their own lives. The suspenseful series opener is a thriller from the start, and the weather-ravaged world feels particularly authentic. Though there is plenty of action, the sf story also takes time to explore Asher’s intriguing inner world and establish the motivations of those around him. The diverse cast of characters, terrific tension, and startling ending will have readers eagerly awaiting the next installment of this prescient page-turner.