School Library Journal Review
Gr 7--10--With an effortless writing style and almost leisurely pace, this could be a bridge book for tweens on the path to YA novels. Eli, Eden, Ilanka, and Marwan do not know one other, but they all receive the same message to report to the music room. The room is empty but for a seemingly innocuous device that sits on the teacher's desk. It comes with so many rules and threatens the students if they break the rules or even discuss breaking them. It sets off fire alarms, fries phones, responds to texts for them, and deletes files. Over the course of just a few days, this device ends up controlling their lives. Despite all the rules, the device only has one task: to learn how to fit in. While the group grapples with how to manage all its requests, where it came from, and how to dispose of it, they form connections and find a true sense of belonging. Altebrando provides a timely look at technology and the large role we let it play in our lives. Told from alternating viewpoints of the four main characters, the story gets stalled out at times by stilted interactions. VERDICT Readers don't really get to know characters other than superficially, but this is a breezy thriller with some interesting angles about technology at the intersection of good and evil. For larger collections.--Alicia Kalan, The Northwest School, Seattle
Publisher's Weekly Review
Summoned to an empty classroom after school, four teens with little in common are linked by a bizarre technological mystery: a small black cube, Aizel, that issues enigmatic rules ("DO NOT TELL ANYONE ABOUT THE DEVICE") enforced by vague threats ("OR ELSE"). If Eden, Eli, Ilanka, and Marwan don't placate the cube by obeying its increasingly capricious whims--don't get it wet, pass it from one handler to the next every 14 hours--Aizel punishes them by manipulating and deleting their personal information and restricting phone access. Even as the quartet attempts to discern Aizel's origins and purpose, they must cope with their own concerns in a time of social media: true crime podcast aficionado Marwan faces Islamophobia, Ilanka seeks belonging through selfies, Eden mourns her deceased father by listening to playlists, and Eli avoids family stress by gaming. In this thriller, Altebrando (The Leaving) explores the impact of technology and the influence of social media on teens. Though the ultimate threat and resolution don't quite live up to the story's promise, Altebrando delves into the tensions of digital technology: its dangers, including data privacy, and its comforts. Ages 13--up. Agent: David Dunton, Harvey Klinger Literary. (June)
Kirkus Review
Four teenagers find a mysterious device that tells them what to do in this timely science fiction thriller. When Eden Montgomery, Eli Alvarez, Marwan Gamal, and Ilanka Sokolova are summoned to an empty classroom after school one day and find a shiny black cube waiting for them, they have no idea they are about to embark on a dangerous journey of self-discovery. The cube--named Aizel--gives them a number of rules that must be followed, including: "DO NOT TELL ANYONE ABOUT THE DEVICE. DO NOT LEAVE THE DEVICE UNATTENDED…TAKE ME WITH YOU...OR ELSE." What does Aizel want? Where did it come from? And why did it choose the four of them in particular? As time passes, Aizel's orders become increasingly terrifying and invasive, and the group has to decide what to do before it is too late. Chapters alternate among all four characters, and each teenager is well developed and richly portrayed in a high-energy story that allows for character growth against a backdrop that looks at digital technology, social media, and the dangers of data mining as well as issues of online privacy and artificial intelligence. There is also an important and skillfully executed subplot about growing white nationalism and anti-immigration sentiment in the U.S. Eden is coded as white and Eli as Latinx; Ilanka and Marwan (who identifies as culturally Muslim) have immigrant parents from Russia and Egypt, respectively. An engrossing and topical techno-thriller. (Science fiction. 14-adult) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
In Altebrando's timely techno-thriller, four teens find themselves at the mercy of a mysterious artificial intelligence. Eden, Marwan, Eli, and Ilanka barely know each other when they are summoned to an empty classroom via messaging app. There they find a black cube, named Aizel, that gives them rules, like "Do not leave the device unattended" and "Do not tell anyone about the device," and threatens them when they consider leaving. The teens think it's a stupid game, but Aizel's demands increase, with real-world consequences when ignored. Aizel can brick phones, manipulate social media, and hack into any computer system. Aizel says it wants "to belong," but where did it come from? And why did it choose them? The teens' well-developed, realistic lives show a love-hate relationship with pervasive digital technology. Seamlessly woven into the background, a subplot about growing anti-immigrant violence in their neighborhood mirrors Aizel's search for belonging. The compelling mystery has a satisfying conclusion, but more rewarding is how these disparate teens find authentic, lasting connections with each other.
