Devil and the Bluebird

Starred review from February 29, 2016
In an exquisitely crafted celebration of music and magic, a young woman ventures across a haunted, unpredictable, and occasionally wonderful America to find her missing sister, who vanished after making a deal with the Devil. In order to save her sister’s soul, 17-year-old Blue Riley likewise makes a wager: the Devil gives her six months to locate Cass or both sisters’ souls are lost. Blue forfeits her voice as part of the bargain, and so, armed only with a guitar and a pair of enchanted boots, she sets out, encountering a diverse range of people, both helpful and dangerous. But the Devil moves in mysterious ways and constantly changes the rules, forcing Blue to keep moving and to think on her feet. As Blue encounters the ghosts of the road and of her past, she gradually comes to understand herself and her complicated, fractured family. First-time novelist Mason-Black delivers a subtle, delicate tale reminiscent of the work of Charles de Lint, a magical realist journey of self-discovery and hidden depths, with fascinating characters and a captivating narrative. Ages 13–up. Agent: Alice Speilburg, Speilburg Literary Agency.

Starred review from March 15, 2016
Cass and Blue made a deal after their mother died of cancer: they would always talk on Mama's birthday. Last year there was only a voicemail from Cass, and this year the call didn't come at all. Blue, 17, knows she must find her older sister. This urgency drives the white teen to meet the woman in the red dress at a crossroads at midnight and make a deal--her soul in exchange for her sister. But the woman in red is more interested in a gamble than an even trade, so she steals Blue's voice and sends her off on a surreal all-or-nothing quest in which the rules of the game, and sometimes reality itself, shift and bend. Hoping to find Cass along the way, Blue re-creates the journey that decades ago brought together her mother and Tish, her partner in music and life. Blue meets an assorted cast of characters on her odyssey, all wandering for their own diverse reasons. The woman in red is never far away, compelling Blue to keep moving toward the family secrets she must uncover in order to rediscover the voice that is authentically her own. Mason-Black's poignant debut novel takes Blue from small-town Maine, "where lesbian musicians were an oddity, and gay kids still suffered at the hands of their peers," on a tour of America's marginalized, her mutism eliciting confusion, confessions, and sympathy along the way. A magical-realist adventure laced with folk guitar and outcast drifters unpacks the bonds of family--those we are born into and those we choose. (Magical realism. 14-17)

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April 1, 2016

Gr 9 Up-An eclectic mash-up of contemporary fiction and fantasy, Mason-Black's premier effort follows Blue Riley as she strikes a deal with the devil: her voice in exchange for the opportunity to find her runaway sister, Cass. Fueled by perplexing hints from the devil, Blue journeys across the Northeast searching for clues from her sister. As deals with the devil so often are, Blue's agreement is fraught with deadlines and catches. Along the way, Blue meets and occasionally travels with a medley of characters who steal the spotlight in this narrative: hippy-dippy Amy, whose soul the devil eats; an unnamed kind librarian paying her father's debt forward; Steve, a stranger-turned-great friend who hitches a ride with Blue to Chicago; criminal-minded Rat, who kidnaps Blue and Steve; abused mother Andrea, who leads Blue to an underground safe shelter; frenetic Tish, Blue's mom's old music partner living on a farm in Wyoming; and romantic interest Dill, who teaches Blue how to hop freight trains. Through all of this, the heroine hangs onto her trusty guitar, learning to "speak" through its strings. The ending is relatively satisfactory, although many questions remain about Blue's fate. VERDICT Teens will enjoy this work for its colorful and memorable cast of transient characters. Fans of Andrea Seigel and Brent Bradshaw's Everybody Knows Your Name and David Arnold's Mosquitoland will enjoy this debut.-Amanda C. Buschmann, Atascocita Middle School, Humble, TX

Copyright 2016 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

April 1, 2016
Grades 8-12 Once in a while, if you're really unlucky, you meet a monster, Lou, a trucker, tells hitchhiking, voiceless Blue Riley. Trust your gut, Lou continues: when the monsters come calling, it's the only thing there to keep you alive. At 17, Blue is no stranger to monsters. Her musician mother is dead of cancer, and her older sister, Cass, has run away. Blue takes her mother's guitar to the crossroads and makes a deal with the devil, who takes Blue's voice and gives her six months to find Cass and save both of their souls. Blue then embarks upon an epic journey, encountering people of all backgrounds and ambitions. The reach of this debut occasionally exceeds its graspthe cast is large and transient, and the magic-realism foundation is never fully established. Still, the odd and intriguing concept, the southern gothic backdrop, and the inclusion of nontraditional families and LGBT characters will endear this to many. Mason-Black's writing, lyrical and woven through with song and warmth, marks her as one worth watching.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2016, American Library Association.)