What if the secret to being charismatic were actually a gene you could inherit, and pass along to your children? What if this “X-factor” could make you a star? Welcome to the world of Cease de Menich, a sixteen-year-old actress in New York City who gets cast as Joan of Arc in a reality-drama, only to discover her “acting gift” has been passed down through her bloodline for almost six hundred years. The plot of the drama reveals dark secrets from her past—an abusive mother, a brother who committed suicide—and the reader must decide if she’s a reliable narrator or a terrified girl who’s succumbed to the pressure of fame and past abuse.

Cease & Desist is a dark, contemporary, YA thriller with a supernatural twist. Readers of books like I Let You Go and The Girl on the Train will enjoy this coming-of-age story, which struggles with the realities of sexuality, violence as entertainment, and mental illness.