A detail-bloated but utterly addictive ghost story.
Nancy Drew meets Ghost Hunters in this queer thriller.
High school junior Dare Chase is headed to New Hope, Virginia. After her boyfriend broke up with her, their ghost-hunting YouTube series came to an end. Now, she has accepted a monthlong internship restoring the Arrington Estate where 17-year-old Atheleen Bell mysteriously drowned in 1992—the subject of Dare’s new podcast, Attachments. Dare clicks with the two other interns: Holly, a local teen desperate to leave her hometown, and college student Quinn, who is assisting her mother, who owns the estate and wants to convert it into a museum. As Dare and Quinn take tentative steps toward a romantic relationship—Dare’s first with another girl—the trio begins to experience signs of the paranormal, including scratching in the walls, a haunted doll, and ominous painted messages. Could the spirit of Atheleen be responsible, or does the mystery go even deeper? Marsh gives Dare a strong, confident voice, portraying her Type 1 diabetes as a challenge she gains strength from learning to handle responsibly. The female-centered cast is shown to be both complex and human. Segments from Attachments appear only at the beginning and end—the story would have benefited from more—and the backstory grows heavy, leaving readers with too many names to track and derailing the otherwise exceptional plot. The book follows a White default; Quinn has a White mom and Puerto Rican dad.
A detail-bloated but utterly addictive ghost story. (Paranormal. 14-18)Pub Date: Sept. 7, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-984836-15-1
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Razorbill/Penguin
Review Posted Online: July 26, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2021
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A descriptive and atmospheric paranormal social thriller that could be a bit tighter.
After a Nigerian British girl goes off to an exclusive boarding school that seems to prey on less-privileged students, she discovers there might be some truth behind an urban legend.
Ife Adebola joins the Urban Achievers scholarship program at pricey, high-pressure Nithercott School, arriving shortly after a student called Leon mysteriously disappeared. Gossip says he’s a victim of the glowing-eyed Changing Man who targets the lonely, leaving them changed. Ife doesn’t believe in the myth, but amid the stresses of Nithercott’s competitive, privileged, majority-white environment, where she is constantly reminded of her state school background, she does miss her friends and family. When Malika, a fellow Black scholarship student, disappears and then returns, acting strangely devoid of personality, Ife worries the Changing Man is real—and that she’s next. Ife joins forces with classmate Bijal and Benny, Leon’s younger brother, to uncover the truth about who the Changing Man is and what he wants. Culminating in a detailed, gory, and extended climactic battle, this verbose thriller tempts readers with a nefarious mystery involving racial and class-based violence but never quite lives up to its potential and peters out thematically by its explosive finale. However, this debut offers highly visually evocative and eerie descriptions of characters and events and will appeal to fans of creature horror, social commentary, and dark academia.
A descriptive and atmospheric paranormal social thriller that could be a bit tighter. (Thriller. 14-18)Pub Date: Sept. 26, 2023
ISBN: 9781250868138
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Review Posted Online: June 8, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2023
BOOK REVIEW
A thrilling and exquisitely grotesque showcase of young women taking charge.
Three young women team up to track down a serial killer who’s targeting witches.
Jude Wolf became cursed after a deal with a demon went awry; as a result, she was kicked out of her rich and well-connected family. Zara Jones wants to bring her murdered sister back from the dead so she can make amends. They both need the help of Emer Byrne, a powerful type of witch known as a cursewriter. With a dark past of her own, Emer writes invocations that give women power in exchange for letting a demon have part of their souls, turning them into witches. When the trio of women, who are cued white, realize that the serial killer on the loose in London is specifically going after Emer’s previous clients, they pool their resources. Jude is independently wealthy, Zara has incredible puzzle-solving skills, and Emer brings her witchy prowess: Together they work to fight back and find the killer. Filled with feminist rage and a sprinkle of queer romance, this lushly written tale methodically builds to a heart-pounding confrontation. Each woman is separately introduced, and then Sutherland expertly weaves together their lives in intricate and fascinating ways. The characters’ relationships evolve as the stakes become increasingly dangerous. Although some of the worldbuilding details are waved away, the evocative body horror, distinct and compelling leads, and twisty plot will keep readers immersed in this grisly story.
A thrilling and exquisitely grotesque showcase of young women taking charge. (Paranormal thriller. 14-18)Pub Date: Jan. 30, 2024
ISBN: 9780593532263
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Nancy Paulsen Books
Review Posted Online: Sept. 23, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2023
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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