A Dark Inheritance

D’Lacey (the Last Dragon Chronicles) launches the UFiles series with a fast-paced yet convoluted offering. When teenager Michael Malone rescues a stray dog, it sets off a chain of events in which he learns he can alter reality under emotional duress, such as changing history so his sister has always played the flute. He is subsequently recruited by an enigmatic agency known as UNICORNE, which may know what happened to Michael’s missing father. However, UNICORNE’s leader, Amadeus Klimt, doesn’t necessarily have Michael’s best interests at heart, constantly forcing him to expand and explore his powers in new ways. In investigating the ties between the dog, a new classmate, and a girl who died several years earlier, Michael is swept up in a strange adventure that’s part murder mystery, part reality-twisting trial by fire. The premise has plenty of potential, but the storytelling suffers from too many disparate elements and a lack of focus. Some twists are unclear, others ask a lot of readers, and the ending leaves many questions unanswered. Ages 8–12. Agency: Johnson & Alcock Literary Agency. (June)