SOUL OF SHADOW

Sixteen-year-old Charlie Hudson is deeply mourning the loss of her identical twin sister two years earlier.

To distract herself, she practices magic tricks, enjoying the feeling of surprising people with her sleight of hand. But when classmates start vanishing—leaving behind only their abandoned shoes hanging from trees whose trunks have been carved with strange symbols—Charlie launches her own investigation. Her search leads her to Elias Everheart, a mysterious and handsome boy who’s a new senior at her school. He immediately wins over everyone except suspicious Charlie. One day, she follows him into the forest where she discovers his shocking secret. Elias draws Charlie into a hidden world of woodland beings and ancient Norse magic—one that puts her life in danger. To explain her increasing time with Elias, Charlie tells her friends they’re dating, a lie that spirals out of control. As she and Elias hunt for the cause of the disappearances, they become embroiled in a battle that could destroy the world. Readers who persist past the slow beginning will find the book’s final third is a thrill ride. As a love interest, Elias unfortunately lacks charm, and his dialogue feels unnatural. The real highlight is the vätte, a tiny, gnomelike creature who’s obsessed with chocolate chip cookies and the TV show The Witcher. Most characters present white.

Despite being slow to start and suffering from a flat love interest, this book features an exciting ending.