SPELLBOUND SOLSTICE

A young teen’s biggest problem was stage fright—until she learned of her family’s curse.

In the seaside town of Chanterbrooke, Maine, Alice Ambrose, a 13-year-old ballet dancer from a family of enchantresses, has one mission: to make her parents fall in love so their family will finally be whole. Her parents never married, and her father is constantly traveling for work. Ensorcelled Cottage, the inn her family runs, is the perfect location for Alice’s plan: Every year, people who stay at the inn over the winter solstice fall in love. This year, her dad will be there for their Winter Solstice Festival for the first time. When Alice, who’s cued white, discovers that the women in her family are cursed to never fall in love, she decides to break the curse with help from best friend Marcela, who’s white and Mexican, and Chanterbrooke newcomer Ronan Knight, a 14-year-old French medium with secrets of his own. But trying to break the curse could have deadly consequences. Alice also needs to conquer her fear of performing in public, which could cost her a future as a professional dancer. The blurred lines between good and evil contribute to this thought-provoking novel, which is as much a study of its complex characters as it is a whimsical fantasy. The action-packed descriptions of perilous situations will keep thrill-seekers reading, while others will be charmed by the sentimental family connections and sweet romance.

A wintry delight filled to the brim with magic, friendship, and unexpected twists.