The furies are reinvented in eerie modern form, wreaking havoc in the lives of a group of teens in a fictional Maine town in this spine-prickling debut, first in a planned trilogy.
Talented poet Emily has been increasingly attracted to her best friend's boyfriend, Zach, and is swept into an illicit winter vacation hook-up with him. Soon after, she begins to encounter a perfect, tiny blond girl with a terrifying smile everywhere she goes. Meanwhile, image-conscious football star Chase encounters an ethereally beautiful girl who says she and her two cousins are newly back in town after moving away years before. He's instantly, uncharacteristically smitten and pursues her as an addict would a drug, putting himself in vulnerable positions he'd never have previously allowed. Plentiful foreshadowing will tip off most in the audience about the otherworldly nature of the trio of newcomers, creating an ongoing sense of dread for the characters that will spur readers on, but it may frustrate them as they wait for the other shoe to drop. Scares are plentiful throughout, including such tried and true tropes as a near corpse springing to life with a grin.
The nod to Greek mythology may suggest a gothic tale, but this novel reads more like a screenplay for a modern teen horror movie—deliciously chilling, if a bit obvious at times. (Horror. 12 & up)
