Another solid outing from Williams.
A girl who’s recently moved to a small Florida town knows the women in her family gain control of supernatural Gifts on their 15th birthdays, but the nature of her own gift might not make Evie happy.
At first, Evie Messenger is sure she has no Gift at all. When a medium fails to see what her Gift might be, the white teen doesn’t press the issue because she’s happy to be an “oddball,” a Messenger woman with no Gift. But that night, she meets a pale, black-haired girl named Tommie, who keeps showing up and has some sort of undefined problem. It turns out that Evie indeed does have a Gift, a terrifying one: she can directly communicate with the dead. Tommie, of course, has died, but she doesn’t know it. Complicating matters is the fact that Tommie was the daughter of JimDaddy, Evie’s new stepfather, and the girlfriend of Buddy, Evie’s new boyfriend. Evie not only must deal with this tangled web, but also come to terms with her Gift and learn how to use it properly so that she can help the dead souls that come to her. Williams creates a recognizable world with Evie and her working-class, white family, whose colloquial speech (“Now lookit”) provides extra dimension. Even though her Gift may be supernatural, Evie herself comes across as a well-rounded, likable character.
Another solid outing from Williams. (Paranormal fiction. 12-18)Pub Date: Oct. 18, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-4814-5776-7
Page Count: 288
Publisher: Paula Wiseman/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: July 19, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2016
A fresh, generous, wide-ranging compendium of frights.
Spooky stories covering multiple subgenres, plus some added attractions.
Few horrific tropes or creepy conventions are overlooked in Duplessie’s debut. The stories are arranged into six sections: “Short Frights for Dark Nights,” “Anatomical Anomalies,” “Five Minutes in the Future,” “Be Careful Who You Trust,” “The Dark Web,” and “The Unearthly, the Ghoulish, and the Downright Monstrous.” Some of the best entries are grounded in familiar setups, but Duplessie is careful to avoid repetition. The stories’ relatively short lengths and the crisp, direct writing style make this volume inviting for even reluctant readers, but it doesn’t shy away from the truly terrifying and grotesque. That said, the grisliest events are often described with poetic elegance rather than gratuitous violence: “His face collapsed like an empty paper bag.” The stories frequently conclude with the suggestion of frights to come rather than graphic depictions. One ends with an overly curious girl getting sealed up in a brick wall. Another foreshadows the murderous power of a cellphone. Highlights include the eerie “The Reaping,” in which the prick of a rose’s thorn triggers a spate of bloodlust, and “Chamber of Horrors,” which features a murderous iron maiden. Each story ends with a bonus in the form of a QR code and instructions to “scan the code for a scare”—if readers dare. Short, eerie poems are peppered throughout; there are even a handful of riddles. Most characters read white; names cue some ethnic diversity.
A fresh, generous, wide-ranging compendium of frights. (Horror. 13-18)Pub Date: Oct. 10, 2023
ISBN: 9780063266483
Page Count: 224
Publisher: Clarion/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Aug. 11, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2023
A powerful exploration of human connection during nightmarish times.
In an alternate Victorian era, unlikely allies confront monsters and murders.
It’s 1888, and misogynist Jack is on the prowl in Whitechapel, London, butchering women and consuming their organs, which he hopes will “restore him to health and life.” After one murder, he’s approached by a Gorgon, a snake-haired monster from Greek mythology with a gaze that turns people to stone. But Jack isn’t affected by her petrifying powers; he runs away and continues his murder spree. Fleeing the police, Jack boards a ship heading across the Atlantic. In New York City, Pearl Davenport and Tabitha Woodward are members of the Salvation Army, spreading God’s word. They’re roommates who have a contentious relationship—rigidly pious Pearl clashes with more easygoing Tabitha. Wanting to help Cora, a distressed girl they briefly cross paths with, Pearl and Tabitha ask investigative reporter Freyda to help locate her. Pearl falls ill while Tabitha scours the city, seeking answers and receiving assistance from surprising sources, including handsome bartender Mike and Miss Stella, a secretive older woman. All the while, an evil lurking in the city is growing closer. Berry’s exploration of Jack the Ripper’s motivations is intriguing. But the evolving relationships among the largely white-presenting characters—particularly the one between Pearl and Tabitha as they confront horrors that are softened by the compassion they encounter—offer the real appeal, accentuating the best and worst of human nature.
A powerful exploration of human connection during nightmarish times. (historical notes, bibliography) (Historical paranormal. 12-18)Pub Date: Sept. 16, 2025
ISBN: 9781534470811
Page Count: 448
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: July 3, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2025
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