Ruin Road, Lamar Giles
Ruin Road, Lamar Giles
1 Rating(s)
List: $27.99 | Sale: $19.59
Club: $13.99

Ruin Road

Author: Lamar Giles

Narrator: J. D. Jackson

Unabridged: 12 hr 58 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 09/17/2024


Synopsis

"My twin, Lamar, is a phenomenal innovative storyteller... A true king!" -- Tiffany D. Jackson, New York Times bestselling author of Grown and The Weight of BloodSometimes a little fear is a good thing...Cade Webster lives between worlds. He's a standout football star at the right school but lives in the wrong neighborhood--if you let his classmates tell it. Everywhere but home, people are afraid of him for one reason or another. Afraid he's too big, too fast, too ambitious, too Black.Then one fateful night, to avoid a dangerous encounter with the police, he ducks into a pawn shop. An impulse purchase and misspoken desire change everything when Cade tells the shopkeeper he wishes people would stop acting so scared around him, and the wish is granted...At first, it feels like things have taken a turn for the better. But it's not just Cade that people no longer fear--it's everything. With Cade spreading this newfound "courage" wherever he goes, anything can happen. Fearless acts of violence begin to escalate in both his neighborhood and at school. With the right moves, and brave friends, Cade might have one -- and only one -- chance to save all he loves. But at what cost? After all, the devil's in the details.

About Lamar Giles

Lamar Giles is the author of The Getaway; Spin, which was a New York Times Editors' Choice and a YALSA Quick Pick; Overturned, which was also a YALSA Quick Pick; Not So Pure and Simple; Fake ID, which was an Edgar Award finalist and a YALSA Quick Pick; and Endangered, which was also an Edgar Award finalist. He is the editor of the anthology Fresh Ink and has contributed to many other anthologies as well. Lamar is a founding member of We Need Diverse Books. He resides in Virginia with his family.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Raaven💖 on March 30, 2024

So happy I can be the first review for this book! After The Getaway, I knew I would be a huge Lamar Giles fan. The level of intensity and violence that book had made my heart race with anxiety. This sounded like a perfect mixture of horror and supernatural elements that pulled me in and didn’t let m......more

Goodreads review by Dayla on November 16, 2024

RUIN ROAD was such a unique and suspenseful read! Lamar Giles is REALLY good at what he does. He's able to build up a situation, make you feel kind of comfortable, and then pulls that proverbial rug right from under you. In RUIN ROAD we get that suspense and touch of horror that will definitely leav......more

Goodreads review by Gina on September 18, 2024

Cade is one of the only Black students at an all-white school, his father is dying of lung cancer, he lives in a neighborhood that's heavy with gang activity, and he just wants to be a big football star so he can help his family and friends out of their imperfect situation. After a frustrating day of......more

Goodreads review by chasc.taylor_reads on October 26, 2024

Lamar Giles is one of my favorite YA writers! He writes such real characters, great dialogue, and intriguing storylines that offer important social commentary. Ruin Road had me on the edge of my seat. I felt myself going through so many emotions — fear, sadness, anger, anxiousness to name a few. I c......more

Goodreads review by Richelle on August 31, 2024

Thank you so much @ireadya for my book. Lamar Giles has done it again! This is the third book that I have read by him and just they keep getting better. Now this story did have a slow start, but once it picked up I couldn’t read the pages fast enough. One scene had me near tears towards the end of th......more


Quotes

Praise for Lamar Giles"My twin, Lamar, is a phenomenal innovative storyteller. His thrillers have laid the groundwork for us all. A true king!" -- Tiffany D. Jackson, New York Times bestselling author of Grown and The Weight of Blood"Lamar Giles's work always has something to say, and it's well worth your while to listen." -- Barry Lyga, New York Times bestselling author of I Hunt Killers"When I think of Lamar Giles's work, I think of the books that make kids love reading. Whether it's through a fantasy adventure or a nuanced YA novel, he offers readers smart characters who face impossible circumstances that will keep them guessing until the end. A Lamar Giles book never disappoints." -- Meg Medina, New York Times bestselling author of Burn Baby BurnPraise for Ruin Road"Lamar Giles's latest thriller is filled with chilling haunts and horrors, not just in the magical curse that burdens the main character, but in the authentic real-life struggles and stigmas that plague him. A brilliant concept, deftly executed!" -- Neal Shusterman, New York Times bestselling author of the Arc of a Scythe series"Ruin Road brims with malice, each page sure to drag readers into a community's -- and boy's -- fight against the greedy forces preying on them. Exceptional and not to be missed!" -- Trang Thanh Tran, New York Times bestselling author of She Is a Haunting"Riveting, grounded horror tinged with characters who leap to life. Lamar Giles writes with imagination and urgency that will appeal to all horror fans, as Ruin Road raises an intriguing question with surprising answers: What would we be like if we had no fear?" -- Tananarive Due, American Book Award winner and author of The Reformatory"A refreshing tale with twists you'll never see coming. Giles crafts an action-packed story, filled with both real-life and supernatural terrors. Ruin Road pulls your heartstrings tight and keeps you on your toes!" -- Erin E. Adams, author of Jackal"From the first line, Ruin Road lets you know you're in the hands of a master. The story moves with the knowing swagger of its main character, Cade Webster, fascinating, charismatic, and layered. With elements of Stephen King mixed with a double helping of that Giles magic that makes his work so unforgettable, Ruin Road is a mix of terror, heart, and intelligence, with a dash of social commentary. Giles is in peak form, and you don't want to miss out!" -- Maurice Broaddus, author of UnfadeablePraise for The GetawayYALSA Top Ten Best Fiction for Young AdultsYALSA Quick Pick for Reluctant Young Adult Readers"Timely, thrilling, and gripping from start to finish. An absolute page-turner." -- Karen M. McManus, #1 New York Times bestselling author of One of Us Is Lying"The Getaway grabbed me from page one and didn't let go. I was immediately fascinated and disturbed by the fictional Karloff Country. You too will be lured in and then horrified by the truth behind those perfect customer service smiles..." -- Malinda Lo, New York Times best selling author of Last Night at the Telegraph Club★"With hints of Cory Doctorow, Jordan Peele, and Richard Matheson, this book stands on its own as a dystopian adventure, but the deeper metaphors around servitude, privilege, class, and solidarity mean that there's a lot to think about as the characters reckon with their proximity to and complicity in violence both local and far-flung. Hold tight: You'll want to stay on this nightmarish roller coaster till the end." -- Kirkus Reviews (starred review)★"This arresting and engaging dystopian thriller interrogates the horrors of racism, classism, unregulated capitalism and eco-fascism." -- Shelf Awareness (starred review)"Giles's harrowing dystopian novel combines an exploration of capitalistic greed and systemic racism and oppression with gripping psychological horror, resulting in a read that is guaranteed to terrify." --Publishers Weekly"With elements of adventure, science fiction, horror, and even a bit of romance in a broken world, Giles keeps readers wondering who can and cannot be trusted throughout this page-turning novel." -- Horn BookPraise for Spin:A New York Times Book Review Editors' ChoiceYALSA Quick Pick for Reluctant Young Adult Readers"The first test of a whodunit is how heart-stopping and strange a thing has actually been dun. In Spin, Lamar Giles nails the murder... What's even more impressive is the subtle stuff you almost don't notice because Giles wears his intellect so lightly: the masterly knowledge of hip-hop and R&B; the command of technology's uses and abuses; the discerning ear for the way high schoolers talk... A two-time nominee for an Edgar award, Giles is a terrific plotter... Spin champions the resourcefulness of teenagers and pities the grown-ups -- villainous or just clueless -- who underestimate them." -- New York Times Book Review★ "Not to be missed." -- Kirkus Reviews (starred review)★ "Spin delivers everything you could want in a book: lush, complex characters; a spine-chilling plot; a vividly drawn world; and, best of all, hip-hop." -- Booklist (starred review)★ "This novel transcends its genre." -- School Library Journal (starred review)★"This fast-paced tale seizes attention from the first thrown punch to the final curtain call...." -- Publishers Weekly (starred review)"Lamar Giles has spun together a fast-paced, music-forward whodunit..." -- School Library ConnectionPraise for Overturned:A YALSA Top Ten Quick Pick for Reluctant Young Adult ReadersA Kirkus Best Book of the Year★"An utterly compelling whodunit." -- Kirkus Reviews, starred review"Giles, a founding member of We Need Diverse Books and two-time Edgar Award finalist, is in top form, weaving together the threads of his whodunit-and-why and resonantly depicting his characters' home and school lives. As a poker genius Nikki may be a singular sort of teenager, but she's grounded in desires and motivations that make her story as moving as it is thrilling." -- New York Times Book Review"Another Giles winner." -- BCCB"A fast-paced, endlessly intriguing mystery." -- Booklist"Giles excels at pulpy crime drama, including a romance with a wealthy casino heir, scattering a trail of clues and bluffs to keep readers guessing." -- Publishers Weekly