It’s the summer before senior year, and Manny has just moved from Texas to the Bronx in New York City. Instead of hanging with friends and making spending money, Manny is forced to do menial tasks in his new home, a luxury condo his stepdad is managing, while stressing about starting over.

Thankfully, he meets Sasha, who is protesting the building but turns out to be really cool. And he strikes up an unlikely friendship with Mr. Mueller, the building’s exterminator. Maybe life in the Bronx won’t be so bad.

Then the nightmares begin. Manny swears he has roaches crawling under his skin. When building contractors start to go missing, Manny and Sasha come to the terrifying realization that Mr. Mueller is not who he says he is. Or rather, he is, but he died decades ago in a fire exactly where Manny’s new building is located. A fire that Mueller set.

Now, in a race against time, Manny must rescue his family from a deranged specter determined to set the Bronx ablaze once again.

Infested is highly recommended for readers who like gross, nasty and filthy. It really is hair-raising and gut-wrenching in an entertaining way.

The story starts slow. And I mean really slow. At some point I was beginning to ask myself if I was still reading a thriller novel. But the late build-up did not disappoint as it offers some of the weirdest, most highly confusing, mind-numbing material ever. I have to admit it is a different kind of fun read. Hats off to Angelo Luis Colón for creating unique and nonconformist characters and inserting them in a simple plot.

The plot is your typical teenager battling puberty issues and insecurities. What I found interesting is the addition of political concerns. I wonder how many teens will relate to it; some youths of this day are very passionate about their beliefs. The twists and ending are predictable. The use of multicultural personalities is impressive. First-person point of view digs deeply into the protagonist’s mind. If you are a fan of absurd and strange reads, you are on the right material. But story-wise, there is not much to tell.

-Kevin Velayo