Both thrilling and endearing: another success.
In this entertaining sequel to Ellen Poe: The Forgotten Lore (2026), more delightfully macabre adventure awaits.
Still living with her Aunt Marie at Raven’s Rest, her Baltimore coffee shop and Edgar Allan Poe–themed B&B, Ellen Poe Reynolds continues to be haunted by the ghost of the legendary writer. Eddy, as he prefers to be called, is visible only to 16-year-old Ellen. Ellen’s charming friend, Gus Davenport, also 16, lives across the hall and is the emcee for Raven’s Rest’s open mic nights, bringing in much-needed business. Following one such evening, Ellen discovers that Eddy’s journal—which is tied to his ability to appear to her—has gone missing from its case in the living room. Librarian Sara Rice, who had a keen interest in acquiring the journal, attended that open mic and left Ellen a cryptic note. Unable to connect with Eddy, Ellen has hallucinations about him and nightmares in which he dies horribly. Aunt Marie connects the dots: The nightmares are showing her the “fictional deaths” Poe meted out to the characters he created. Suspecting Rice, who’s gone missing, of stealing the journal, Gus and Ellen attempt to decipher the note, which leads them on a treasure hunt. Using only verified Poe quotations for the ghost’s dialogue, Peterfreund makes him feel vividly alive in his entertaining conversations with Ellen. The relationship between Ellen and Gus, who read white, continues to evolve pleasantly, complementing their exciting exploits.
Both thrilling and endearing: another success. (author’s note) (Paranormal mystery. 12-18)Pub Date: Oct. 6, 2026
ISBN: 9798894141701
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Running Press Kids
Review Posted Online: Aug. 3, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2026
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A descriptive and atmospheric paranormal social thriller that could be a bit tighter.
After a Nigerian British girl goes off to an exclusive boarding school that seems to prey on less-privileged students, she discovers there might be some truth behind an urban legend.
Ife Adebola joins the Urban Achievers scholarship program at pricey, high-pressure Nithercott School, arriving shortly after a student called Leon mysteriously disappeared. Gossip says he’s a victim of the glowing-eyed Changing Man who targets the lonely, leaving them changed. Ife doesn’t believe in the myth, but amid the stresses of Nithercott’s competitive, privileged, majority-white environment, where she is constantly reminded of her state school background, she does miss her friends and family. When Malika, a fellow Black scholarship student, disappears and then returns, acting strangely devoid of personality, Ife worries the Changing Man is real—and that she’s next. Ife joins forces with classmate Bijal and Benny, Leon’s younger brother, to uncover the truth about who the Changing Man is and what he wants. Culminating in a detailed, gory, and extended climactic battle, this verbose thriller tempts readers with a nefarious mystery involving racial and class-based violence but never quite lives up to its potential and peters out thematically by its explosive finale. However, this debut offers highly visually evocative and eerie descriptions of characters and events and will appeal to fans of creature horror, social commentary, and dark academia.
A descriptive and atmospheric paranormal social thriller that could be a bit tighter. (Thriller. 14-18)Pub Date: Sept. 26, 2023
ISBN: 9781250868138
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Review Posted Online: June 8, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2023
BOOK REVIEW
A powerful story of family, belonging, and identity interlaced with thriller elements.
A wary teen wonders if she should run when people come looking for her.
Lucy Smith was raised by her white father, who said little about her mother. Following his death and her stepmother’s abandonment, Lucy entered the foster care system at 14. Her stepmother revealed that Lucy’s birth mom was Native American, but her social worker urged her to keep that quiet. Battered by her time in the foster care system, it’s no wonder that 18-year-old Lucy is cautious when she’s approached by a man who says he’s an attorney who helps Native American foster kids connect with their families and communities. He introduces her to a friend who reveals to Lucy that she knows her Ojibwe maternal relatives—but a wary Lucy refuses her offer to learn more. Someone is stalking her, after all, and the FBI is investigating the bomb that went off in the diner where she worked—an event she’s sure targeted her. This stand-alone from bestseller Boulley, who’s an enrolled member of the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians, includes characters her fans will recognize from previous works. The action scenes are mediated by ruminations on the failings of the foster care system and strong portrayals of Lucy’s relationship with her father and her complicated identity. Ardent book lover Lucy is a sympathetic narrator whose strong sense of justice is coupled with a deep acceptance of others.
A powerful story of family, belonging, and identity interlaced with thriller elements. (content warning, author’s note) (Thriller. 14-18)Pub Date: Sept. 2, 2025
ISBN: 9781250328533
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Henry Holt
Review Posted Online: May 30, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2025
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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