Sisters of Blood and Spirit

March 1, 2015

Gr 8 Up-Lark and Wren Noble are twins; one living and the other a ghost existing through her sister after she died at birth. Entering high school in small town New Devon hasn't been easy for Lark with her dead sister tagging along and sometimes taking over her body. Conversations always appear to be one-sided to others, making her look a little unbalanced. With her sister occasionally inhabiting her body, Lark never knows what she will wake up to and often wonders if it would be easier to join her sister in the Shadow Lands, where she lurks with other ghostly characters. When a teenager and his friends are challenged by the restless spirit of a serial killer, they seek the help of Lark and Wren to fight the disturbance. Settings that alternate between the murky Shadow Lands and the drama-filled world of high school keep the pace moving. As the perspective shifts between Wren and Lark, readers will find it easy to follow and enjoy the creepiness of the Shadow Lands. Librarians won't keep this one on the shelves for long. VERDICT Readers will impatiently wait for the second book in this series, as the first will intrigue fans of romance mixed with paranormal phenomenon.-Karen Alexander, Lake Fenton High School, Linden, MI

Copyright 2015 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

April 15, 2015
Grades 9-12 High school can be hell, but it is even worse when you share a body with your twin sister, who's dead. Lark and Wren Noble share Lark's body from time to time, usually when Wren's spirit insists on speaking out or speaking up for her sisteror to remember what the human world feels like. Lark's just back to school after a suicide attempt and a stint in rehab, and her homecoming isn't at all welcoming. When a group of teens approach Lark, she's mildly hopeful she'll outrun her dark past and make new friends, but these kids want her help settling up with a vengeful serial-killer ghost. Both sisters travel between the real world and the Shadow Lands to save everything they love. Books addressing the realities of suicide and depression are becoming more common, but they're still relatively rare in horror novels. Cross, author of the delightfully daring Steampunk Chronicles series, moves to horror fantasy here, and the touch of realism will likely give it a broad appeal beyond her existing fans.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2015, American Library Association.)