Even with her two fated lifetimes knit together, Bone Charmer Saskia might find that her quest for vengeance will shatter her life…and her world.
Saskia’s life fractured into two parallel timelines when the bone upon which her fate-determining kenning broke. In uniting the two lines, she discovered Latham, an evil Bone Charmer, was out to obtain her bones and lost both her mother and her grandmother at his hands. Now, she is set upon finding Latham, who has her mother’s body and her grandmother’s bones, all the while dealing with memories from two very different lives. Thankfully, at the training center for bone magicians, Ivory Hall, she has friends to help her in her quest for revenge and in the bone games, an arduous series of tests of their bone magic skills. Saskia doesn’t know whom to trust, and she’s having trouble integrating her memories. Can she discern Latham’s plans and bring him to justice before he comes for her bones? Shields’ sequel to The Bone Charmer (2019) offers the satisfying and thrilling conclusion that was lacking in its predecessor. The duology is actually one long tale. Readers who navigate the somewhat confusing first volume will be glad they did, the last 60 pages here are the definition of un-put-down-able. Main characters seem to be white.
A twisty plot examining fate and the power of forgiveness in a dark, magical world. (Fantasy. 14-18)Pub Date: May 26, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-62414-9306
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Page Street
Review Posted Online: Feb. 9, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2020
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A treat for mystery readers who enjoy being kept in suspense.
29
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Everyone believes that Salil Singh killed his girlfriend, Andrea Bell, five years ago—except Pippa Fitz-Amobi.
Pip has known and liked Sal since childhood; he’d supported her when she was being bullied in middle school. For her senior capstone project, Pip researches the disappearance of former Fairview High student Andie, last seen on April 18, 2014, by her younger sister, Becca. The original investigation concluded with most of the evidence pointing to Sal, who was found dead in the woods, apparently by suicide. Andie’s body was never recovered, and Sal was assumed by most to be guilty of abduction and murder. Unable to ignore the gaps in the case, Pip sets out to prove Sal’s innocence, beginning with interviewing his younger brother, Ravi. With his help, Pip digs deeper, unveiling unsavory facts about Andie and the real reason Sal’s friends couldn’t provide him with an alibi. But someone is watching, and Pip may be in more danger than she realizes. Pip’s sleuthing is both impressive and accessible. Online articles about the case and interview transcripts are provided throughout, and Pip’s capstone logs offer insights into her thought processes as new evidence and suspects arise. Jackson’s debut is well-executed and surprises readers with a connective web of interesting characters and motives. Pip and Andie are white, and Sal is of Indian descent.
A treat for mystery readers who enjoy being kept in suspense. (Mystery. 14-18)Pub Date: Feb. 4, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-9848-9636-0
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Delacorte
Review Posted Online: Oct. 28, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2019
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Rachel, a 16-year-old trauma survivor, is initiated into her private school’s secret society for horror fans.
A year after surviving a violent attack, high school junior Rachel Chavez becomes the new girl at Manchester Prep on Manhattan’s affluent Upper East Side. The middle-class daughter of a faculty member, Rachel feels invisible except for her one new friend, harmless school gossip Saundra Clairmont. After a school party ends in a ghost story, a séance, and screaming, Rachel—who immersed herself in horror movies as a coping device—notices a prankster amid the chaos. Soon, she is initiated into the Mary Shelley Club, a tightknit group that requires secrecy and rule-following from its members. She joins Freddie Martinez, a film geek on scholarship; hot-tempered, Stephen King–adoring Felicity Chu; charming Thayer Turner, whose political family is compared to the Obamas; and brooding golden boy Bram Wilding. Mostly the teens just watch all sorts of horror films—classics, slasher, zombie, psychological—but membership also involves more sinister activities. Moldavsky’s tightly plotted tale weaves in dark humor, an impressive amount of horror trivia, and insightful references to Frankenstein. Readers will quickly become invested in Rachel’s story even when she’s making difficult-to-witness mistakes. The characters are notably diverse; issues of ethnicity and social class are naturally woven into the story.
An atmospheric page-turner about loving scary movies, longing to belong, and uncovering the many masks people wear. (Horror. 14-18)Pub Date: April 13, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-250-23010-2
Page Count: 480
Publisher: Henry Holt
Review Posted Online: Feb. 5, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2021
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