National Book Award-winner Neal Shusterman (Challenger Deep; The Arc of a Scythe series) has made an indelible mark on YA with his engrossing, clever, and haunting dystopias. All Better Now is yet another gift for teen sci-fi fans. Earth is dealing with a deadly pandemic: the Crown Royale virus has a 4% mortality rate. Those who survive, however, emerge from their illness with an abiding sense of calm and happiness.
Mariel and her mother, Gena, have lived in their car ever since Gena's mother lost her job during the Covid-19 pandemic. Gena lives "in a constant state of denial" and Mariel is a realist, but perhaps not when it comes to Crown Royale. While Gena doesn't want to catch it, Mariel thinks it might not be so bad--the survivors have "something in their eyes," something "wise" and "centered." Sixteen-year-old Rón's father "is the third-richest man in the world" and has every resource to keep himself and his children safe. Rón, though, has "blue-cone deficiency" and the CDC says that those with this type of color blindness are "seven times more likely to die from Crown Royale." Nineteen-year-old uncompromising genius Morgan has received a summons to attend an interview on a "grand estate in the lush English countryside." There, she receives an outrageous offer.
Shusterman narrates the growing crisis using the third-person perspectives of Mariel, Rón, and Morgan as each realizes they personally wield more power than any one individual should have. While the more than 500 pages of this opening installment to a new series may seem daunting, short chapters help keep up a rapid pace. Shusterman delivers another contemplative, enthralling work for teens. --Siân Gaetano, children's and YA editor, Shelf Awareness