Uncanny

September 1, 2017

Gr 9 Up-Willow Jane's 16th birthday is marked by a citywide blackout in her hometown of Boston and a series of inexplicable events that range from eerie to downright horrifying. A 400-year-old witch, the Shadowless, who has a penchant for tearing people's thumbs off, emerges from her crypt seeking revenge for deeds done to her by Willow Jane's family centuries ago. In the ensuing hours, Willow Jane learns of the witch's vendetta and her own burgeoning supernatural power. Now the protagonist has to remove the witch's curse from her family and all of Boston before it is too late. The brevity of the chapters keeps the story moving at a rapid clip. Those who enjoy horror will appreciate vivid descriptions of the smell of seared skin, the appearance of a face with lips recently ripped off, and the feel of ravenous crows eating human flesh. The plethora of curses, curse blocks, and other elements inspired by Scottish folklore will enthrall fans of the supernatural, as will scenes in which Willow Jane manipulates time in order to achieve different outcomes. Willow Jane's tough-talking BFF, Siobhan, provides drams of comic relief and comforting realism. Harken, the witch's familiar who mesmerizes people with his good looks, has his own compelling backstory and he provides a romantic foil for Willow Jane. VERDICT Consider buying where demand for horror novels is high.-Jennifer Prince, Buncombe County Public Libraries, NC

Copyright 2017 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

August 1, 2017
Willow Jane's power awakens--as does an ancient enemy.In predominantly white and Irish South Boston, an odd lightning storm on Willow Conning's 16th birthday awakens supernatural beings from their slumber. While a handsome, cookie-cutter paranormal-romance hero named Harken animates the corpse of an unfortunate white homeless man, a trio of teens (including one of Willow's best friends and her ex-boyfriend) disturbs a grave containing a newly disturbed evil in search of treasure--which, unsurprisingly, doesn't end well. Meanwhile Willow struggles to pay her family's rent, dealing with a grasping landlord who's after a Meissen egg that Willow secretly pawned and is desperate to get back. Soon Willow is manipulating time, people are turning up dead, powerful beings are after the egg, and a poem warning about the Shadowless haunts Willow. Refrains--the poem and a creepy singsong rhyme--occur frequently enough to lose impact, and the disdain that the text shows toward the killed characters before their deaths (and the mild reactions displayed by other characters) doesn't inspire readers to care either. Hundreds of pages after receiving a letter written years ago by her dead father, Willow reads it and learns about the family magic--only after her younger sister is threatened. She and Harken make their way through predictable misunderstandings, using the egg to fight the Shadowless. A bloated, sloppy mess. (Paranormal romance. 12-adult)

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