WATER IN HER VEINS

Mysterious small-town lore haunts an ailing teen’s relocation to the mountains.

Lola Boyd is devastated to leave her small Michigan hometown as well as her best friend, Bryn, who’s nonbinary, for a new start in Claret Creek, Colorado. Her mom has remarried the unlikable Kurt (“my new step-dick’s superpower is the ability to make me feel invisible—even when the conversation is about me”), and at his urging the three are pursuing a new adventure. They’re moving into Boyd Manor, Lola’s late father’s childhood home, which she’s set to inherit when she turns 25. Lola’s battle with a debilitating and hard-to-explain chronic illness worsens when she arrives in Claret Creek, and she starts to experience otherworldly hallucinations that seem to be channeling people’s memories and revealing moments from the town’s past. New friends Clare, Sage, Emory, and Fletcher offer Lola help in understanding her mysterious family connection to Claret Creek’s history, which involves revered local physician Dr. Clarett and an alleged witch who had a connection to Boyd Manor. Although the cliffhanger chapter endings build suspense throughout, inconsistent characterization hinders the believability of the cast members’ motives. The complex events of the past, which are explored by the contemporary characters, lead to a neatly wrapped up conclusion that strains credulity. Most characters present white, and siblings Sage and Clare are Latine.

Creepy and suspenseful but ultimately dissatisfying.