Downright, satisfyingly creepy.
Harrington returns to the genre of Lois Duncan with spine-chilling results.
Jade Kelley, 17 named for one of the gemstones her deceased jewelry-setter mother collected, is thrilled that her family (father, stepmother and younger stepbrother, Colby) is finally moving from its rural surroundings to the bustle of the Boston suburbs. Their new home definitely offers more activity—paranormal activity that is. An instant source of gossip at school, Jade discovers that the most popular girl, Kayla Sloane, died from unnatural causes—a push down the stairs—the previous year in the same home her family purchased. Although never charged, the prime suspect has always been emo artist Donovan, Kayla’s last boyfriend and the same guy Jade finds attractive. When Kayla takes possession of Colby’s body and demands to know her killer, Jade must solve the mystery. In this first-person page turner, it’s soon clear that underneath Kayla’s beauty and intelligence was a coldhearted manipulator whom many would have liked to have seen out of the way. Plenty of red herrings keep the story lively and fast-paced. Although excerpts from Kayla’s secret diary offer clues along the way, readers will keep trying to guess the real murderer until the final pages. Jade’s inherited interest in gems adds another layer of appeal and a way to deal with her unresolved grief.
Downright, satisfyingly creepy. (Supernatural mystery. 13 & up)Pub Date: Jan. 1, 2013
ISBN: 978-0-545-33302-3
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Point/Scholastic
Review Posted Online: Oct. 30, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2012
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A well-crafted, fantastical thriller.
Thirteen guests. Two imposters. Two directives. Three days. One murder.
When a mysterious woman approaches high schoolers Ruby and Wren while they’re working at Ye Olde Falafel Shoppe at the local Renaissance festival, her offer seems too good to be true. Wannabe starlet Wren is thrilled by the intrigue, but sober Ruby is cautious. Their task seems simple: impersonate the woman’s absent granddaughters at a dinner party at the infamous Hegemony Manor in exchange for $2,000 each. But events quickly spiral out of control when the Hegemony family matriarch collapses and the girls are thrown into a game that involves fighting for their lives in a world where nothing is as it seems and secrets and lies abound. This novel offers a compelling take on the classic locked-room mystery. The plot unfolds at a measured pace, and well-developed clues and red herrings keep readers guessing until the very end. Moments of levity and tenderness balance out scenes of high emotional tensions and darkness, and Henning’s command of figurative and situationally informal language is masterful. Although the characters feel a bit flat at times—their innermost thoughts and motivations occasionally obscured by the narrative—and the romances sometimes feel like an afterthought, it’s easy to become invested in their struggles as they come together to unravel the web of truths and lies. Ruby and Wren are cued white; there’s some racial diversity in the supporting cast.
A well-crafted, fantastical thriller. (Supernatural thriller. 14-18)Pub Date: Sept. 17, 2024
ISBN: 9781250841063
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Tor Teen
Review Posted Online: July 4, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2024
Despite the well-meaning warmth, a wearying plod.
Can a 17-year-old with her first girlfriend prevent real-life folks from discovering her online fandoms?
Cass is proudly queer, happily fat, and extremely secretive about being a fan who role-plays on Discord. Back in middle school, she had what she calls a gaming addiction, playing “The Sims” so much her parents had to take the game away. Now, turning to her role-play friends to cope with her fighting parents, she worries that people will judge her for her fannishness and online life. To be fair, her grades are suffering. And sure, maybe she’s missed a college application deadline. Also, her mom has suddenly left Minneapolis and moved to Maine to be with a man she met online. But on the other hand, Cass is finally dating her amazingly cute longtime crush, Taylor. Pansexual Taylor is a gamer, a little bit punk, White like Cass, and so, so great—but she still can’t help comparing her to Rowan, Cass’ online best friend and role-playing ship partner. But Rowan doesn’t want to be a dirty little secret and doesn’t see why Cass can’t be honest about this part of her life. The inevitable train wreck of her lies looms on the horizon for months in an overlong morality play building to the climax that includes tidy resolutions to all the character arcs that are quite heartwarming but, in the case of Cass’ estranged mother, narratively unearned.
Despite the well-meaning warmth, a wearying plod. (Fiction. 13-16)Pub Date: Feb. 7, 2023
ISBN: 978-0-06-324332-3
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Quill Tree Books/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Nov. 15, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2022
BOOK REVIEW
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