Clement-Moore forsakes her Maggie Quinn series to craft a stand-alone Southern Gothic with a Celtic flair—and leading man. After an injury destroys 19-year-old Sylvie’s ballet career and she gets drunk at her mother’s wedding, she finds herself and her dog shipped down to her dead father’s Alabama family, complete with huge estate-cum-inn and resident ghosts. The local teens wield an inordinate amount of power, their cute leader wants Sylvie and Welsh guest Rhys infuriates and attracts in equal measure. The mythological and historical grounding—legendary Welsh prince Madoc; natural magic; hidden journals; family secrets—is excellent, artfully shared via conversation when exposition is necessary, although Sylvie’s resistance to admitting the paranormal drags on a bit given all the hints. The dialogue displays the author’s trademark wit and zip, especially when Sylvie and her aunt’s business partner’s daughter spar. By digging up—literally and figuratively—her family’s past, Sylvie begins to heal and move past her accident. Long, satisfying and just chilling enough, this will please a wide audience and leave readers hoping for more. (author’s note) (Fantasy/mystery. 13 & up)
