Though the book seems to want to read like a teen version of Stephen King’s “Children of the Corn” with romance, its...
Clay Tate never believed his dead father’s crazed ramblings about devil worshippers in Midland, Oklahoma.
When he finds a slaughtered calf on his family’s farm, though, Clay knows that something evil is plaguing his town and that he and his friends—who also happen to be the sixth generation of the town’s founding farmers—might be responsible for ushering in the apocalypse. Though populated and narrated by young people, the book does not feel in touch with its putative audience, and in particular, Clay’s teenage voice is unauthentic. Supporting characters come across as generic: Clay’s mother is a prop character whose purpose seems to be to give the illusion of an authority figure in Clay’s life; the town sheriff plays the dual good cop–bad cop role but never moves beyond that character arc; and one of the novel’s main villains has no real substance. Clay, white with dark-blond hair, and Ali, white with dark-brown hair, spend much of the novel pining for each other, but unfortunately, Ali is a cookie-cutter version of the girl next door, and their romance is lackluster.
Though the book seems to want to read like a teen version of Stephen King’s “Children of the Corn” with romance, its implausible characters and chaotic plotline will leave readers cold. (Horror. 14-18)Pub Date: Jan. 10, 2017
ISBN: 978-0-7653-8098-2
Page Count: 352
Publisher: Tor Teen
Review Posted Online: Oct. 18, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2016
An affecting supernatural mystery with a pair of brave protagonists.
The disappearance of a child unveils what lies hiding in the woods at the edge of a small town.
There are all sorts of stories about Picnic, Illinois, but it’s not until her toddler cousin, Madison, goes missing from her crib one night that 15-year-old Luce starts to believe them—and especially when she notices a pair of glowing, wolflike eyes through the windows of her house. To everybody’s relief, Madison is returned to her crib, seemingly safe and sound, soon after she vanished, but Luce and the child’s mother notice discomfiting differences in the 2-year-old. And yet, no one else seems to give credence to their concerns. Luce, prompted by a teacher, starts to research Picnic’s history and the many disappearances—and sudden reappearances—of baby girls, going back decades. Meanwhile, deep in the woods, Fanya, who narrates alternating chapters, tends to the baby girl and prepares for the ritual to welcome her as part of her pack when the full moon comes. As Luce’s and Fanya’s stories converge, so do past and present in Lund’s atmospheric novel. The story borrows elements from South Slavic lore about women who turn into animals to tell an affecting tale about small-town secrets, wronged people, and the bravery of two girls bent on getting to the truth in order to save lives. All characters are assumed White.
An affecting supernatural mystery with a pair of brave protagonists. (Paranormal thriller. 14-18)Pub Date: Oct. 4, 2022
ISBN: 978-0-593-35109-3
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Viking
Review Posted Online: July 26, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2022
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A small-town nightmare unfolds in this terrifying tale.
“Doubtful, Illinois, was a glue trap. People sometimes came in, but they very rarely left.”
Abby and friends Rhys, Connor, and Riya have rules to keep themselves safe and avoid getting taken by the Stitcher. The serial killer preys on people in this former mining town, stitching victims’ body parts together with red thread. The four teenagers, who call themselves the Jackrabbits, keep tabs on the Stitcher’s activities, but the Doubtful police seem unable or unwilling to solve the case. Officer Thompson, a new arrival from New York City seeking a quieter place after years of policing in the big city, is trying to learn more about the town. His teenage daughter, Jen, struggles to believe that the Jackrabbits’ warnings are true—but things are getting worse in Doubtful. Technology is failing, and the Jackrabbits are having nightmares—signs that the Stitcher is gearing up to take another victim. In this page-turning horror story, everyone is at risk of falling into the Stitcher’s clutches, no matter how careful they are. The rural Midwestern setting may seem familiar, but the evil that haunts Doubtful permeates the pages. Creepy imagery offsets scenes of amateur detective work. First-person chapters tell stories of those affected by the Stitcher; the rest follow the teen protagonists in the third person. Most characters read white; Riya is cued South Asian. Final art not seen.
A small-town nightmare unfolds in this terrifying tale. (Paranormal horror. 14-18)Pub Date: Nov. 7, 2023
ISBN: 9781728278940
Page Count: 416
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Review Posted Online: Sept. 9, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2023
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