Blood and Salt

August 17, 2015
For as long as she can remember, Ashlyn Larkin has been haunted by visions of a dead girl who looks almost exactly like her. Her mother claims that Ashlyn is psychically connected to their ancestor Katia, an alchemist who has been waiting centuries to be reunited with her murdered lover through the bodies of their descendants. Ash's twin brother, Rhys, thinks alchemy is just superstition, but when Katia chooses their mother as her vessel, the 17-year-old siblings leave New York City for the eerie Kansas commune of Quivira, hidden deep in an enchanted field of corn. Ashlyn becomes overwhelmingly attracted to a temperamental boy named Dane, but because Dane comes from the wrong bloodline, any relationship between them is forbidden. Entertaining though the sordid backstory and star-crossed romance can be, the real driving force of this story is Ashlyn's loyalty to her mother and brother. Debut novelist Liggett spins a complex but engrossing story as Ashlyn uncovers the truth about the dead girl in her visions and faces what it truly means to be a Larkin. Ages 14âup. Agent: Josh Adams, Adams Literary.