A review by starrysteph
The Jump by Brittney Morris

adventurous funny lighthearted mysterious tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

The Jump was an exciting, dynamic read that launched me right into an enjoyable adventure.

We follow four rockstar teenage puzzle solvers (with four rotating POVs) that make up the Seattle scavenger hunting group Team Jericho. Jax is the analyzer, Yas is the parkourist, Spider is the tech hacker, and Han is the cartographer with intimate knowledge of all the underground nooks and crannies of the city. 

When a secretive vigilante group called The Order creates a puzzle with the promise of power as a reward, Team Jericho sees it as their only chance to combat the oil refinery that puts their community at risk. But they’re not the only competitors, and there’s a lot at stake … 

The plot moves quickly and cinematically. The action was (more than a little) unrealistic as well as the tech elements, but it was playful and cheeky and fun and I was ROOTING for these kids. The descriptions of clues and solves were also quite clever.

The cast of characters was both creative and diverse: these are kids with vastly different backgrounds and life experiences. There are Black characters, Muslim characters, a trans character, a nonbinary parent character, a character who is sometimes nonverbal, lesbian characters, and so on. I think so many young readers will see themselves in these pages.

I really loved the depictions of families - and different kinds of families. There was also SO much love shown and valued here. Sibling love, new romance, trust & care from parents even when they don’t ‘get’ it, friends really supporting each other & taking time to understand each other’s needs, and a community coming together to support and defend each other.

At several points there were just TOO many things crammed into such a short book, especially since we only get a short amount of time with each POV. And I would have loved some more clarity around the ending (there were a lot of questions - some of them a bit bleak). I would be interested in reading more in this world.

CW:  racism, violence, police brutality & corruption, fire, classism, gun violence, hate crime

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(I received an advance reader copy of this book; this is my honest review.)
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