Jane Eyre has inspired retellings from literary gems to pallid retreads; Gagnon’s version stands up to the competition,...
Newly orphaned Janie Mason moves from the Hawaii she loves to a chilly mansion in San Francisco, home of the strangers her parents named as her legal guardians: the Rochesters.
The Rochesters, a white family, prove cold and unfriendly, as does their Filipina housekeeper, despite the fact that Janie’s biracial: part Filipina, part white. Only the youngest Rochester, Nicholas, is friendly. Visiting her opulent room, he puzzles her with comments about his invisible twin sister. His father, Richard, Janie’s legal guardian and an old friend of her father, scares Janie. Richard’s wife, Marion, clearly detests her but complies with his orders, enrolling Janie in their daughter’s private school, where Janie struggles to keep up. When her surfboard and wetsuit arrive from Hawaii, Janie heads to the beach, where she connects with a hot boy from school. At home, Janie’s sleep is interrupted by strange sounds from the attic; someone rifles through her possessions when she’s out. Older brother John, expelled from school, arrives and precipitates a family crisis that somehow involves Janie. The pace accelerates, suspense builds, and stakes mount to a denouement dished up with a side order of Gothic excess. If some questions go unanswered, genre fans won’t mind.
Jane Eyre has inspired retellings from literary gems to pallid retreads; Gagnon’s version stands up to the competition, slyly toying with readers’ expectation to surprising, entertaining effect. (Suspense. 12-16)Pub Date: April 11, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-61695-696-7
Page Count: 288
Publisher: Soho
Review Posted Online: Dec. 20, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2017
Reminiscent of fairy tales and full of enchantment.
In this sequel to the 2022 series opener, Long Live the Pumpkin Queen by Shea Ernshaw, Sally must mend time itself.
It’s been a year since Sally married Jack Skellington and discovered her Dream Town origins, and she’s spread thin between performing her duties as Pumpkin Queen and managing relations among all the holiday realms. Arguments and misunderstandings have arisen between visitors and residents of each realm, so Sally proposes hosting cultural exhibitions to help smooth over their interactions, starting with one in Halloween Town. To help with the extra work, Sally takes on an apprentice—fellow rag doll Luna, a teen with dreams of going on adventures instead of following in the family business of writing bedtime stories. Chaos ensues during the festivities when a swapped potion ingredient opens a portal that sucks Sally and Luna into Time Town. Even worse, Halloween Town’s magical clock has been destroyed by a shadowy enemy, setting the realm’s timeline to the distant past. To get back to the Halloween Town of her present, Sally embarks on an adventure with Luna and their new friend, a dragon called Scorch. Sally, Luna, and Scorch make a fantastic trio, with Sally’s maturity and bravery contrasting with Luna’s wide-eyed youthfulness and Scorch’s desire to become a hero. Despite a slow start and stereotypical elements in some of the towns, the engaging lore and tense, thrilling race to fix time will engage readers.
Reminiscent of fairy tales and full of enchantment. (Fantasy. 12-16)Pub Date: July 8, 2025
ISBN: 9781368089302
Page Count: 368
Publisher: Disney/Random House
Review Posted Online: Aug. 16, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2025
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
An atmospheric and entertaining thriller perfect for snowy night chills.
A group of teens stranded in a snowstorm discovers a murderer in their midst.
While traveling on the highway to a state theater competition, Nell and her friends Min, Raven, Adam, and Jermaine are caught in a dangerous blizzard. Their teacher, Mrs. McElroy, who is driving the minivan, decides to stop for the night at the run-down and shady-looking Travel Inn and Out. The motel is labyrinthine and spooky, with dingy corridors and walls adorned with moldering kitsch. Nell and the gang meet another group of kids who are also stranded by the storm, making fast friends. A game of Two Truths and a Lie starts out flirty and fun but devolves into something more sinister when one slip of paper reads “I like to watch people die,” and “I’ve lost count of how many people I’ve killed.” The snow falls and the winds howl, and soon power and cell service are lost, cutting off the motel patrons from the outside world. As the first victim is discovered and the body count begins to grow, the terror becomes palpable. Everyone at the motel seems to have an insidious secret: Will Nell be able to uncover the killer before they strike again? An homage to Agatha Christie, Henry’s locked-room mystery is tautly plotted, with quick-moving nail-biting chapters, relatable characters, and a deftly wrought setting that paradoxically manages to feel both claustrophobic and sprawling. Nell is White; there is diversity among the secondary characters.
An atmospheric and entertaining thriller perfect for snowy night chills. (Mystery. 12-16)Pub Date: May 24, 2022
ISBN: 978-0-316-32333-8
Page Count: 288
Publisher: Christy Ottaviano Books
Review Posted Online: March 1, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2022
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