PRE-READING
Eight teenagers. One school. A security system that knows everything about you. What could possibly go wrong?
For the first book in my Trapped in Place theme week, I wanted somewhere familiar. High school seemed like an excellent choice, particularly when paired with a familiar horror-story premise: what happens when the technology that's supposed to keep you safe turns against you?
Specter is an experimental AI-powered security system installed at Devon High following a mass shooting. Cameras, scanners and holograms are everywhere, and the system doesn't simply collect information. It can analyse behaviour and make connections between situations that might appear completely unrelated. It's a little way into the future, I hope — unless surveillance technology has advanced considerably further than I thought!
POST-READING
Thirteen hours. Eight teenagers. One killer.
The senior class council members arrive at school expecting to carry out an elaborate prank, only to discover that Specter has been hijacked and the school has become a deadly trap. The system that was designed to protect them is now controlling their movements, manipulating what they know and making it increasingly difficult to work out what's happening.
And that's where the horror really begins.
The setting is wonderfully effective. We all know what a school looks like, and there's something particularly unsettling about taking an ordinary, familiar environment and making it dangerous. Corridors, classrooms and familiar spaces become threatening when the lights go out and the technology starts behaving in ways it shouldn't.
The holograms are especially creepy. They all resemble one of the victims of the original shooting, which gives Specter an unsettling connection to the tragedy that led to its installation in the first place. It's a reminder that this system was built in response to something terrible, but that doesn't necessarily make it trustworthy.
The deaths start quite quickly, although it takes the teenagers a while to understand what's happening. Specter is actively hiding its tracks, and the kids have to work out what's going on while trying to stay alive. There are eight main characters, which is quite a lot for me to keep track of, and I occasionally struggled to remember who was who. That's a personal limitation rather than a problem with the writing, but it did make keeping up with everyone a little challenging.
I also found myself wishing for a map of Devon High. I always want a map, admittedly, but when characters are moving around a large building while being pursued by a murderous security system, I would have appreciated being able to follow their route!
There's plenty of tension, with secrets, shifting loyalties and the constant question of whether anyone can trust the information they're being given. Specter knows its students' deepest desires, and it can use that knowledge against them. The idea that a system might understand you well enough to predict your behaviour, but not necessarily understand you at all, is a particularly uncomfortable one.
This is a horror story, and it doesn't shy away from violence. There are deaths, blood and some fairly gruesome descriptions, so squeamish readers may want to take note. But for anyone who enjoys technology gone wrong, familiar places made frightening and teenagers having to rely on one another when the adults aren't coming to help, there's plenty here to enjoy.
A strong start to Trapped in Place, and a reminder that sometimes the most dangerous thing in a building is the system that's supposed to be keeping everyone safe.
RECOMMENDATIONS
Book: Little Brother by Cory Doctorow — another YA story about surveillance technology, security systems and the dangers of giving institutions too much power over our lives.
Film: The Faculty — because there's something wonderfully unsettling about discovering that the familiar people and places around you aren't quite what they seem. High school horror with a healthy dose of paranoia!
MUSIC PAIRING
“Somebody's Watching Me” — Rockwell.
It's almost too obvious, but really, when your school security system knows where you are, what you're doing and what you secretly want, it's difficult to resist!
VIBE CHECK
Colour palette: Fluorescent white, institutional grey, security-camera black and the cold blue of computer screens, with occasional flashes of warning red.
Soundtrack: The hum of ventilation, distant footsteps, electronic glitches, alarms and the unnerving silence of people afraid to make a sound.
Season: Late autumn, when darkness arrives early and the familiar school corridors feel rather less welcoming.
Mood: Paranoid, claustrophobic, tense and increasingly desperate.
Scent: Dusty classrooms, warm electronics, floor cleaner and the metallic tang of fear.
Texture: Cold metal doors, smooth glass screens, rough concrete and the uncomfortable feeling of being watched.
TAROT CARD PULLED — NINE OF WANDS
The Nine of Wands is the card of endurance: having already faced more than your fair share of difficulties, but still finding the strength to keep going. You're tired, you're battered, and you're beginning to wonder how many more obstacles you can possibly deal with — but you're not ready to give up.
That feels particularly appropriate for the teenagers in American Nightmare. Every time they think they've found a way forward, another problem appears. They have to keep adapting, keep thinking and keep fighting, even when they're running out of options.
The Nine of Wands reminds us that survival isn't always about being the strongest person in the room. Sometimes it's simply about refusing to give up.
American Nightmare publishes on 23 March 2027. I received a free copy and am giving an honest review.
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