A rollicking and thoughtful take on the be-careful-what-you-wish-for trope.
In 1999, a small-town Massachusetts teen witch coven investigates the murder of one of their own.
Nesbit hadn’t lived in North Dana for long before the North Coven adopted him as a best friend and practicing witch. He also became the boyfriend of coven member Bastion. And when Bastion is found gruesomely murdered in the spooky Stepwood Cemetery, the remaining coven members—Dove, Drea, Brandy, and Nez himself—have no choice but to try to find out what happened to him. In doing so, they discover some harsh truths about the bloody history of their town, their own powers, and the strength of their relationships to one another. With an inventive and well-characterized villain and characters who are differentiated in style, personality, and identity, this debut promises much more from both the author and the cast of characters, who could easily feature in a future series. This novel is an easy-to-read occult thriller inspired by ’90s cult classics with a likable cast of cool, queer, Wiccan goth heroes. Kölsch holistically integrates serious issues, such as grief, neurological differences, religion and faith, parental abuse, and a variety of intersectional queer identities, with a deft touch that keeps the book both eerie and light in pleasantly equal measure. Nez reads Latine, siblings Dove and Bastion are cued as having some Egyptian ancestry, Brandy is Black, and Drea seems to be white.
A rollicking and thoughtful take on the be-careful-what-you-wish-for trope. (Horror. 14-18)Pub Date: June 4, 2024
ISBN: 9781454951599
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Union Square & Co.
Review Posted Online: March 23, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2024
A treat for mystery readers who enjoy being kept in suspense.
Everyone believes that Salil Singh killed his girlfriend, Andrea Bell, five years ago—except Pippa Fitz-Amobi.
Pip has known and liked Sal since childhood; he’d supported her when she was being bullied in middle school. For her senior capstone project, Pip researches the disappearance of former Fairview High student Andie, last seen on April 18, 2014, by her younger sister, Becca. The original investigation concluded with most of the evidence pointing to Sal, who was found dead in the woods, apparently by suicide. Andie’s body was never recovered, and Sal was assumed by most to be guilty of abduction and murder. Unable to ignore the gaps in the case, Pip sets out to prove Sal’s innocence, beginning with interviewing his younger brother, Ravi. With his help, Pip digs deeper, unveiling unsavory facts about Andie and the real reason Sal’s friends couldn’t provide him with an alibi. But someone is watching, and Pip may be in more danger than she realizes. Pip’s sleuthing is both impressive and accessible. Online articles about the case and interview transcripts are provided throughout, and Pip’s capstone logs offer insights into her thought processes as new evidence and suspects arise. Jackson’s debut is well-executed and surprises readers with a connective web of interesting characters and motives. Pip and Andie are white, and Sal is of Indian descent.
A treat for mystery readers who enjoy being kept in suspense. (Mystery. 14-18)Pub Date: Feb. 4, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-9848-9636-0
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Delacorte
Review Posted Online: Oct. 27, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2019
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
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