Debut author Victoire tackles themes of environmentalism and prejudice via a bone-chilling plot in this dystopian fantasy. Sixteen-year-old adopted Ava Sparrow lives inside the fenced area of Red River, a settlement in a future Canada, with other human survivors following an ecological and near-societal collapse almost a millennium prior. Though she's safe from terrifying humanoid beasts known as Klujns, she struggles to evade bullies and prepare for the hostile winter approaching. Having grown up fearing the Klujns, whom her people hunt for their crystal claws and protein-rich meat, she's especially frightened when she's captured by a group of Klujn alongside 13 other teen girls and forced to fight to the death in a macabre ritual known as the Blood Race. While captive, the girls realize that the beasts seem more human than their respective settlements have led them to believe. Weighty plot points involving murder and governmental corruption are touched on only lightly, but vividly wrought imagery, steady pacing, edge-of-the-seat action, and a gutsy cast accompany a harrowing, Hunger Games--level atmosphere, making for a thrilling adventure. Ava reads as white; supporting characters are intersectionally diverse. Ages 12--17. Agent: Mollie Glick and Abby Walters, CAA. (Jan.)

In a devastated future, as humans struggle to dominate ferocious predators, a 16-year-old seeks the truth about her identity. After they successfully hid in the wilderness for millennia, tribes of creatures called Klujns were discovered by people in 2071. Construed as nonhuman yet somewhat humanlike in appearance, Klujns are hunted for their protein-rich meat and valuable crystal claws. Ava, the narrator of this story, which takes place in the early 22nd century, eventually finds herself among the hostages taken to the Klujns' annual Blood Race. But as the book opens, it's another lonely day in Red River, one of the few towns left in the smidgin of North American Territory formerly known as Québec that has survived the climate catastrophe. Borders have long since closed, and English made the sole official language. Ava's origins are mysterious: She was found washed up on a riverbank and raised in an orphanage until she was adopted by a Klujn expert and an agriculturalist who still occasionally speaks the banned French language. Combining moon worship and a battle to the death between teens with explorations of feminism and environmentalism, this socially progressive dystopian adventure with strong worldbuilding and suspenseful plotting will appeal to fans of the Hunger Games. Ava reads White; there is some racial diversity among the supporting cast members. Pointedly questioning what it is to be human, this absorbing debut expresses profound longing for the disappearing wild. (map) (Fantasy. 14-18) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.