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A review by orionmerlin
Nexus by Scott Westerfeld, Margo Lanagan, Deborah Biancotti

adventurous dark emotional funny tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Characters: 8/10 
The Zeroes crew is back and chaotic as ever. Ethan “Scam” remains the human disaster you can’t look away from, Chizara's a living tech nuke with a heart of scrambled wires, and Flicker finally gets to shine like the all-seeing badass she is. Nate? Still playing puppet master and still somehow not getting punched enough. Kelsie is the emotional pulse of the team—literally—and Thibault... oh, sweet, self-fading Thibault. He and Flicker gave me feelings I did not authorize. Secondary characters like Sonia and Piper crank up the stakes—Sonia adds heart, and Piper is deliciously disturbing in her cult-leader energy. The emotional arcs land hard, and these kids are delightfully, tragically messy, just how I like my dysfunctional superteams. 
Atmosphere / Setting: 9/10 
New Orleans during Mardi Gras is the most chaotic, neon-lit, spiritually-haunted sandbox the authors could’ve possibly picked—and it works like gangbusters. The Petri Dish vibe from earlier books gets turned into full-on social revolution, and the mix of abandoned tech warehouses, creepy Faraday cages, and carnival madness makes for a surreal, buzzing energy that practically crackles off the page. You can practically smell the sweat, beer, and impending doom. 
Writing Style: 7/10 
It’s punchy and propulsive, with each POV carrying its own flavor. Scam’s chaotic internal voice is a thing of absurdist beauty, and Flicker’s multi-perspective omnivision makes for some trippy sequences. That said, the stylistic juggling act isn’t always smooth. The triple-author voice sometimes leans into whiplash territory—like switching from a tech-surge rave to a quiet existential crisis without a blink. But overall, the writing hits the YA sweet spot between sharp and sincere without descending into pretentious monologue-ville. 
Plot: 7.5/10 
The plot is basically: what if we gave emotionally unstable teenagers world-altering powers and dropped them into Mardi Gras? And then stood back to watch everything explode in truth serum and metaphysical fireworks. The stakes go from “we’re fugitives” to “oops, we accidentally remade society” in about 200 pages. Piper’s terrifyingly ambitious plan hijacks the finale and twists expectations in wild directions. Is it messy? Yes. Do I care? Not really, because the chaos is glorious. Still, some pacing hiccups and a few logic gaps ding the score. 
Intrigue: 9/10 
Every damn chapter ends like the authors chugged caffeine and yelled “cliffhanger or bust!” I was constantly dying to know who was betraying whom, which superpower was about to short-circuit next, and whether Verity’s world-wide honesty beam was going to trigger global collapse or spontaneous kumbaya. The whole “no one can lie for three months” premise is such delicious narrative TNT. I couldn’t stop flipping pages, and I cursed them (lovingly) for every single plot twist. 
Logic / Relationships: 7/10 
I had to suspend my disbelief harder than Thibault trying not to vanish into a crowd, but hey, internal logic mostly holds. The power mechanics get wobbly when Nexus goes full metaphysical fever dream, but the emotional logic? Solid. These teens love, fight, lie, and occasionally kill for each other in ways that feel real—even when they’re being emotionally dense morons. The group dynamics are tangled and fraught in the best way, but a few relationship beats felt rushed or conveniently smoothed over—especially post-murder confessions. 
Enjoyment: 8.5/10 
This book is like eating a bag of sour gummy worms while riding a rollercoaster built by anarchist tech nerds. It’s wild, sometimes messy, occasionally facepalmy, but always fun. Nexus delivered on the anarchic promise of the series and gave me closure with just enough ragged edges. Would I reread it? Hell yes. Would I survive in this world? Absolutely not, I’d be exploded by feedback loops before breakfast. 
Final Word: If you want teen superpowers with a side of ethical dilemmas, unpredictable mayhem, and a dash of emotional whiplash, Nexus is your jam. Just maybe don’t expect to come out of it entirely sane.
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