The Kill Factor
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- $13.99
Publisher Description
A brand-new gameshow that offers young criminals the chance at freedom has been greenlit. Little do they know, winning is their only chance at survival. A captivating examination of the dark truths around the criminal justice system, Ben Oliver, critically acclaimed author of The Loop trilogy, delivers an action-packed thrill ride with deadly high stakes.
Fifty contestants. Five mental and physical challenges. One winner.
In a near-future where a virtual currency of digital content fuels a fame-hungry society, a brand-new experiment that combines social media and reality TV has been greenlit.
Voted on, and contestants are sent to a maximum-security reform camp on an island where they can have no contact with the outside world. To lose means prison. But to win is to be free. The most popular young offender with the most upvotes by the end is given both a second chance in society and a cash prize.
This kind of money could mean everything to Emerson and her family who live in the Burrows, one of the subterranean villages where the government have buried affordable housing. It's more than freedom. It could mean the chance to change her family’s circumstance and finally find a place in the society they’ve never been allowed into.
But what Emerson doesn’t know, what the viewers don’t know, is that the prison on the island is empty. Those who lose, those who are voted off aren’t incarcerated. Each challenge will leave more and more contestants to die. And the only choice they have is to win over viewers before it’s too late.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
In this social media–centered riff on dystopian game shows, teens trapped in the criminal justice system are given the opportunity to win money and their own freedom by competing in the public eye for fame, followers, and survival. After being charged with theft, arson, and manslaughter, white teenager Emerson Ness is approached by a mysterious person known as the Producer, who offers her the chance to avoid prison time by competing on a show called Retribution Island along with 49 other contestants. When Emerson learns that the show's actual title is The Kill Factor, she quickly understands that it's more than just a clever name. Once the game begins, she and her fellow participants are forced to resort to lethal means to advance—and survive—and as contestants drop one by one, Emerson realizes that she must ingratiate herself to her viewers and rack up as many followers as possible if she hopes to get out of this alive. Oliver (the Loop trilogy) draws upon well-known tropes from dystopian classics like The Hunger Games, but scarcely elevates them which sometimes overshadows the narrative worldbuilding and didactic social commentary. Nevertheless, Oliver's thriller chops are sound, inspiring real scares via the gruesome trials characters are forced to endure in this visceral read. Ages 12–up.
