Slice of Cherry

November 29, 2010
Smalltown secrets meet the supernatural in Reeve's thematic follow-up to Bleeding Violet, also set in the bizarre town of Portero, Tex. Kit and Fancy Cordelle are the teenage daughters of the infamous Bonesaw Killer, ostracized and dismissed for having the same sociopathic genes. That's okay, they have each other, and they share everything, from secrets to a taste for killing. When they find a portal into another world—a way to do whatever they want to their victims without being caught—they indulge in some recreational mayhem, ridding the town of assorted undesirables. Then they get mixed up with the Turner brothers, sons of their father's last victim, and soon the sisters' unity is threatened by something new: growing up. Can love, whether sisterly or romantic, flourish in a town full of monsters and mysteries? Budding sexuality wars with killer instincts as things get messy. With so many disparate elements in play, it's easy to lose track of the narrative, but at heart, this is a memorable and utterly twisted coming-of-age story that reads like Dexter for (mature) teens, soaked in the paranormal—and blood. Ages 14–up.

November 15, 2010

Reeves returns to her fictional East Texas town of Portero for a tale more gruesome, disturbing and shamelessly enjoyable than Bleeding Violet (2009). Sisters Kit and Fancy are so close they're like the same person. They don't need anyone but each other—convenient, as they've been shunned by the townsfolk since their serial-killer father was arrested. A home invasion starts the sisters on a spree of magically enhanced torture and killing, focused on rapists, domestic abusers and would-be murderers. Soon, previously aloof neighbors hail the girls as public servants. Meanwhile, their sisterly closeness erodes: At a Juneteenth celebration, Fancy discovers newly murderous magical powers, while Kit shows an increasing interest in boys instead of murder. Somehow, in this orgy of gore, a touching coming-of-age tale emerges, as the two emotionally stunted young women connect with community. The warm, fuzzy moral—that it's fine to be a serial killer as long as you're doing it to help others—will delight and entertain readers mature enough to appreciate that fictional morals needn't always coincide with real-life didacticism. This gleeful page-turner is a winner. (Urban fantasy. YA)

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January 1, 2011

Gr 9 Up-Kit and Fancy Cordelle, the only children of the terrifying Bonesaw Killer of Portero, know that it's only a matter of time before they follow in his footsteps. Their dad was caught and imprisoned due to forensic evidence, but his teenage daughters are determined not to fall into the same trap. With careful planning and control, Fancy knows that she can make sure nothing ties them to the crimes, as long as her impulsive sister avoids a public killing spree. Scouting out the perfect location, she retrieves the missing crank to the old kinetoscope that lived in her father's killing cellar. The old motion-picture device transports Fancy to a brightly colored world where she and her sister can kill those who deserve it and keep the bodies away from the police. However, even as the sisters embark on their murderous spree, forces are tearing them apart. Kit has become obsessed with Gabriel, the youngest son of the last man their father killed, while Fancy has attracted the attention of Gabriel's brother, Ilan. Reeves, experimenting with a much darker side of magical realism, definitely has plenty of ideas. The vividly created fantasy world in which buried victims grow into beautiful trees is fully engaging. Though the oddball humor is somewhat lacking, Kit and Fancy are likable enough. While the dual boyfriends feels shoehorned in as an unnecessary contrivance, it fits within the overall small-town mindset. Mostly without gore, the subject matter is enough to raise an eyebrow or two in any community. Fans of Showtime's Dexter series will be thoroughly engrossed, though this dark horror novel will never be a staple in most collections.-Chris Shoemaker, New York Public Library

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