It’s Black Friday – and the apocalypse is on sale!
Ever since the world filled with portals to hell and bloodthirsty demons started popping out on the reg, Jasper’s life has gotten worse and worse. A teenage nobody with no friends or family, he is plagued by the life he can’t remember and the person he’s sure he’s supposed to be.
Jasper spends his days working as a checkout clerk at the Here for You discount mart, where a hell portal in aisle nine means danger every shift. But at least here he can be near the girl he’s crushing on – Kyle Kuan, a junior member of the monster-fighting Vanguard – who seems to hate Jasper for reasons he can’t remember or understand.
But when Jasper and Kyle learn they both share a frightening vision of the impending apocalypse, they’re forced to team up and uncover the uncomfortable truth about the hell portals and the demons that haunt the world. Because the true monsters are not always what they seem, the past is not always what we wish, and like it or not, on Black Friday, all hell will break loose starting in aisle nine. Perfect for fans of Grasshopper Jungle or The Last of Us comes Aisle Nine, the debut young adult novel from rising YA star Ian X. Cho.
Format: Paperback
Pages: 272
Imprint: HarperCollins AU
Publication date: 04/09/2024
Aisle Nine
By Ian X. Cho
Review by Kazia
Who knew that battling demons and facing off against impending doom could be so fun? This is such a witty, humorous take on the apocalypse. I loved reading as these tired, completely-over-it teenagers dealt with nightmarish creatures, a corporate military state, and rude customers – all in a day’s work. The quirkiness and absurdity provide the light-hearted touch needed to balance out the darker aspects of this book; as the characters struggle with the grief and hopelessness that comes from having your world upended and turned into chaos. I found myself enjoying the escapades and snarky inner monologues so much that I was hardly even bothered by the few plot holes that I encountered along the way – I was having too much fun to care. A delightful and relatable debut that has me eager for whatever Ian X. Cho writes next.
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