Starred Review for Publishers Weekly

Bowler delivers an intense, gripping novel that introduces Blade, a 14-year-old British boy with a mysterious past, who is living on the streets. After Blade suffers a beating by a local gang, an offer of help from a Good Samaritan goes awry and he finds himself on the run from a group of mysterious armed men. Along the way, he ends up protecting a toddler named Jaz and the girl's teen mother, Becky (she, in turn, inspires memories of Blade's long-dead love). There's little joy in Blade's world: characters steal, cheat, abuse drugs and kill, and to Blade, little of this bleakness is out of the ordinary (the first chapter reveals that he's lived this way since at least the age of seven). Bowler (<EMPHASIS TYPE=""ITALIC"">Frozen Fire) imbues Blade with a voice that throws around slang (“porker,” “gobbo,” “Bigeyes”) without needing to stop to explain it, and his reader-directed narration (“I don't trust you one little bit. Why should I?”) carries the novel, even as the plot frustratingly ends with a cliffhanger. Readers who like their thrillers brutally realistic will find much to enjoy. Ages 14–up. <EMPHASIS TYPE=""ITALIC"">(May)

Horn Book (Sat Aug 01 00:00:00 CDT 2009)

Fourteen-year-old Blade, so named for his prodigious knife skills, is on the run from a shady past. Things go from bad to worse after he helps Becky, a gang member with her own secrets. British slang and a staccato delivery add edge to Blade's present-tense narration. A maddening cliffhanger ending is entirely appropriate for this first volume of a projected eight-book series.

ALA Booklist (Fri May 01 00:00:00 CDT 2009)

Combining the first two of a projected eight-volume UK series called Blade, this headlong thriller introduces a feral street teen in an unspecified urban setting who manages to find himself pursued not only by police ("porkers") but by both a girl gang and murderous thugs from his mysterious but evidently violent past. Addressing an observer he dubs "Big Eyes" in staccato, present-tense prose laced with an invented slang ("BLADE. That's what they used to call me. And I liked it. Bit of style, bit of clash. But remember 's a secret. Don't be a claphead and spew it. If I find you've blotched on me . . ."), the narrator alludes tantalizingly to past misdeeds and absent characters as he sweeps up a frightened gang member and a small child in his attempted flight. This first installment ends so violently that, if it weren't for the certainty of upcoming volumes, readers would be sure that Bowler had killed off his main character. Reluctant readers in particular will be pleased by the fast pace and the action's immediacy.

Kirkus Reviews

Fourteen-year-old Blade (aka Slicky) is a smart homeless kid who gets caught in many wrong places at a lot of wrong times. He's been on the run from the police since he was seven, sneaking into houses and stealing people's wallets to survive. After an attack from a girl gang, he both witnesses and is accused of multiple murders. On the run from both the girl gang and the boys who murdered their leader, he joins up with Becky, a 16-year-old mother who is trying to get away from the gang. Although he has always operated alone, Blade decides to let Becky and her daughter accompany him as he attempts to bring justice to the murderers. The action is fast-paced, but the book is thin on character development and the ending lacks resolution, perhaps because it is the first book in a series. Much about Blade's present but little about his past is revealed, which may entice readers to pick up the sequel if they don't put this book down in frustration. (Fiction. YA)

School Library Journal (Sat Aug 01 00:00:00 CDT 2009)

Gr 9 Up-From the beginning of this novel, fear and suspense are palpable as 14-year-old Blade is chased and savagely beaten by a gang of ruthless teenage girls. He is a gritty, British street kid constantly on the run for his life, but readers don't find out why until the end. He has amazingly keen instincts and startling skill with a switchblade, and he knows how to seem invisible, to go unnoticed and stay alive. Blade watches silently from the shadows to learn whether homeowners are in or not, and then uses unoccupied houses as snugs, safe havens where he sleeps, eats, and reads. Books are Blade's one solace, and his love of books softens the character of this streetwise thief. This is a solid choice for reluctant readers who are willing to accept the British slang, which is easy enough to interpret in context. "Quite a few nebs here too but they're all muffins" translates to, there's lots of people out in the neighborhood, but they're harmless. Bowler's use of short, clipped sentences creates a breathless tone that keeps readers on edge and turning pages at breakneck speed as Blade eludes murderers, drug users, and thugs. Patricia N. McClune, Conestoga Valley High School, Lancaster, PA

Voice of Youth Advocates

Blade is a fourteen-year-old homeless youth with a past that he mostly keeps hidden. He is very familiar with his unnamed British city and manages to survive by stealing wallets and living in people's homes while they are away. But one day things start to go wrong. First he is ambushed and beaten by a group of teen girls who leave him naked. An old woman named Mary gives him some clothes, but then two violent men show up at the door and they seem to want Blade. He is soon on the run, along with sixteen-year-old Becky and three-year-old Jaz. Blade is forced to use all his cunning to escape and to try to keep Becky and Jaz safe. The book is told in the first person, with the reader addressed directly as "Bigeyes,ö which is somewhat disconcerting at times. Blade reveals only small bits of information about his past, the other characters are not fully developed, and the ending is abrupt and open-ended, no doubt because it is the first book in an intended series. Still Blade has an engaging voice, the pace is break-neck, and young teens will be eager to know what is going to happen next.ùSarah Flowers.