Complete with a hellhound, demons and a vintage motorcycle, this paranormal thriller supplies plenty of entertainment.
Despite its title, this companion to Verday’s Hollow trilogy comes across more as a thriller than a soap opera.
While some knowledge of the previous series certainly would help, new readers will find enough background information to glean the basics. Cyn tries not to sin, but she can’t help it. She’s an Echo, a human who serves as a host for a series of souls that inhabit her body and sometimes take over to do murder, or so Cyn believes. Enter Avian, the 13th Revenant, shunned by both demonic and angelic Revenants. (Revenants are otherworldly figures that help the living “cross over.”) Avian spends his time dispatching supernatural baddies, the protégé of benevolent Father Montgomery. Meanwhile, Cyn, working as a waitress, tries to avoid Declan, the brother of her former boyfriend, Hunter, whom Cyn believes she murdered in one of her blackouts. Avian balances his emotions and his duty to fight supernatural evil, even as he finds himself falling for Cyn. The supernatural lore lies thick on the ground, but the author keeps the narrative flowing nicely. Cyn’s all-night waitress job in the dumpy little diner adds some welcome realism amid the paranormal elements.
Complete with a hellhound, demons and a vintage motorcycle, this paranormal thriller supplies plenty of entertainment. (Paranormal thriller. 14 & up)Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2013
ISBN: 978-1-4424-8835-9
Page Count: 272
Publisher: Simon Pulse/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Sept. 13, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2013
BOOK REVIEW
A heavy read about the harsh realities of tragedy and their effects on those left behind.
In this companion novel to 2013’s If He Had Been With Me, three characters tell their sides of the story.
Finn’s narrative starts three days before his death. He explores the progress of his unrequited love for best friend Autumn up until the day he finally expresses his feelings. Finn’s story ends with his tragic death, which leaves his close friends devastated, unmoored, and uncertain how to go on. Jack’s section follows, offering a heartbreaking look at what it’s like to live with grief. Jack works to overcome the anger he feels toward Sylvie, the girlfriend Finn was breaking up with when he died, and Autumn, the girl he was preparing to build his life around (but whom Jack believed wasn’t good enough for Finn). But when Jack sees how Autumn’s grief matches his own, it changes their understanding of one another. Autumn’s chapters trace her life without Finn as readers follow her struggles with mental health and balancing love and loss. Those who have read the earlier book will better connect with and feel for these characters, particularly since they’ll have a more well-rounded impression of Finn. The pain and anger is well written, and the novel highlights the most troublesome aspects of young adulthood: overconfidence sprinkled with heavy insecurities, fear-fueled decisions, bad communication, and brash judgments. Characters are cued white.
A heavy read about the harsh realities of tragedy and their effects on those left behind. (author’s note, content warning) (Fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: Feb. 6, 2024
ISBN: 9781728276229
Page Count: 416
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Review Posted Online: Jan. 5, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
There’s not much plot here, but readers will relish the opportunity to climb inside Autumn’s head.
The finely drawn characters capture readers’ attention in this debut.
Autumn and Phineas, nicknamed Finny, were born a week apart; their mothers are still best friends. Growing up, Autumn and Finny were like peas in a pod despite their differences: Autumn is “quirky and odd,” while Finny is “sweet and shy and everyone like[s] him.” But in eighth grade, Autumn and Finny stop being friends due to an unexpected kiss. They drift apart and find new friends, but their friendship keeps asserting itself at parties, shared holiday gatherings and random encounters. In the summer after graduation, Autumn and Finny reconnect and are finally ready to be more than friends. But on August 8, everything changes, and Autumn has to rely on all her strength to move on. Autumn’s coming-of-age is sensitively chronicled, with a wide range of experiences and events shaping her character. Even secondary characters are well-rounded, with their own histories and motivations.
There’s not much plot here, but readers will relish the opportunity to climb inside Autumn’s head. (Fiction. 14 & up)Pub Date: April 1, 2013
ISBN: 978-1-4022-7782-5
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Review Posted Online: Feb. 12, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2013
BOOK REVIEW
SEEN & HEARD
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