Black Bug
Anna Brenneisen
Independently Published (2016)
AISN: B0DJDRNCLX
Reviewed by Terri Stepek for Reader Views (09/2024)
Samantha, AKA Sam, doesn’t have the best life for a teenager. She was basically abandoned by her parents at such an early age she doesn’t remember them. She’s living in a strange foster home with a bizarre woman who cares nothing for her or the other children she fosters. The nasty-tempered woman is in it for the check. Sam has a rough time at school, has no friends, gets in trouble regularly, and has a snarky, sarcastic inner monologue that reminds her regularly how useless her life is.
“Black Bug” by Anna Brenneisen doesn’t exactly start out with sunshine and roses… kinda’ sounds more like the way most teens see their lives, even if things aren’t as bad for them. Let’s face it: it’s a rough time in life and it’s easy to let your cruel inner voice tell you that you’re not worthy. We’ve all been there at least a bit. The author does a great job, however, of balancing this dark take on life with great humor along with other characters who are upbeat, joyful, and just plain fun to be around. The balance is great; and necessary.
Sam finds herself kicked out of school and sabotaged from the internship program she was hoping to win with the greatest mind of their age: James Wellson, owner of JW BioTech Agency. He’s rich, smart, philanthropic, charismatic, and now currently running for vice-president of the US. Sam, in her naivete, thinks the sun rises and sets on this guy. But she’s lost her chance now. In fact, in just one afternoon she lost her shot with Wellson’s company, got kicked out of school, and lost her room at the foster home. Oh, and she seems to have suddenly developed some cursed superpowers as well. She’s really on her own now, and reality is not very pretty in this light.
But through a random set of strange circumstances involving her new “curse” of telekinesis, she finds herself riding in Wellson’s limo and being offered a chance to join his security team, which would include uniforms and housing. She’s moving to New York! Man, her luck sure changed!
Go figure, we can move to another city, but gossip and bad people are still a universal…
Sam has a series of strange encounters on her first day at JW BioTech. For instance, some dude named Josh tries to tell her she doesn’t want to work here then sabotages her, too. She meets Wellson’s son, AJ, the guy that screwed up and inadvertently gave her an opportunity to work here. He’s…weird. But to Sam none of this matters. She’s going to overcome all weirdness and sabotage, because she’s meant to be here. She’s determined to be great.
At this point in the novel, readers know that Sam is seeing things as she wants them to be. We know that Wellson isn’t the benevolent benefactor she thinks he is, and that she shouldn’t trust anyone in this madhouse. It would be easy to be worried about her, but she’s tough and smart- and considers sarcasm her greatest weapon. So, it’s all good.
The characters here are great fun, especially Sam with her sardonic wit. It’s fun to watch her perspective change as things get really out of hand, and to watch her make friends with some of the other people living in the building. It turns out that under that goth attitude is a very kind heart.
The pacing here is razor-sharp. As Sam tries to figure out what’s going on and keep herself and her new friends from certain harm (read that “death”), it seems like the pages just aren’t turning fast enough. The author shows a bit of a minimalist style, giving us enough to go on without bogging us down with minutiae. This works for the YA genre, and I generally enjoyed it myself, although there were a few times that I would have to back up a paragraph or two, thinking I must have missed something. But it was just the wiki-wiki style of the author.
Overall, this is a very fun novel with plenty of action, drama, mean girls, bad guys, and even Russians. There’s a little bit of angst, and even small hints of romance, but this story moves at such a fast pace no one has time to stop for a kiss. Sam’s discovering her true nature and growing into it. Sort of. Now she’s trying to save her small slice of the world.
For readers of young adult fantasy and sci-fi who enjoy action and a wicked sense of humor, “Black Bug” by Anna Brenneisen is a fast, fun read. It’s great for fans of superhero stories or paranormal reads. There’s a lot to like here even if you’re not really a fan of its minimalist style. Themes of loyalty, strength, honor, truth, and found-family run at blazing speeds through this text, allowing profound moments between the snarky sarcasm. As AJ puts it:
‘We can either sit here and complain, or we can actually try something new and have some fun.’
I sigh and grab his hand. What do I have to lose? My pride already sailed one big monologue ago.