Arclight

A harrowing sci-fi thriller that #1 New York Times bestselling author Pittacus Lore proclaimed "Powerful and gripping." This bold and astonishing novel about identity, unnerving connections, tortured romance, and facing our worst nightmares is made for fans of Veronica Roth, Stephen King, and Justin Cronin.

The Arclight is the last refuge in a post-apocalyptic world consumed by terrifying creatures called the Fade. No one crosses the wall of light that keeps the last human survivors safe. There's nothing else left and nowhere to go. Or so they thought, until Marina, a lone teenage girl, stumbles out of the Dark.

Marina doesn't remember who she is, where she came from, or how she survived. And the Fade want her back. When one of them infiltrates the compound and recognizes Marina, she begins to unlock secrets she didn't even know she had. Marina knows she's an outsider, but she'll do anything to protect those who saved her. Whether they want her help or not.

She’s their only clue to the enemy’s weakness—and their greatest threat. What happens when the girl who survived the dark is the one thing that could destroy the light?

• Amnesia Protagonist: Marina can’t remember how she survived the monster-infested Dark. But the monsters remember her, and they want her back.
• Enemies to Lovers: She’s trying to save the boy who hates her most—Tobin, whose father died rescuing her. The line between protection and passion is dangerously thin.
• YA Dystopian Novel: In the last fortified city, a wall of light is the only thing keeping humanity safe from the terrifying creatures that consume the world.
• Terrifying Creatures: The Fade are more than just monsters. They’re intelligent, they’re inside the walls, and they have a horrifying connection to Marina’s past.

No one survives the fade

The first rule of the Arclight is Light is safety; light is life. Within the walls of light, people are protected from the Fade—the creatures that have destroyed the world. The second rule is Never go outside alone. The third: No one ever comes back from the dark.

But Marina did. She doesn't know who she is or where she came from. And she doesn't know how she survived the Fade.

Or why they want her back. But they do want her back, and their attacks on the Arclight won't stop until they have her.

What secrets are locked inside Marina's memories? Where does she belong?

“Powerful and gripping straight out the door—Arclight will keep you up at night, if you dare stay awake.” - Pittacus Lore, author of the #1 New York Times bestselling I Am Number Four series

“McQuein strongly evokes the claustrophobic tyranny of adult authority and institutional spaces, as well as the irrational human faith in the voice of ‘experience,’ in this fine debut.” - Publishers Weekly

“Marina has a strong but inexplicable connection to the Fade, [and] she and Tobin enter dangerous dark territory to discover the truth.” - Booklist

“In a dystopian future colony that holds back the monsters that have taken over the world, a girl tries to find her place. … Marina … stands out as an interesting and spunky character, enough of a rebel to take some major chances.” - Kirkus Reviews