Harbinger

March 19, 2012
Set in a near-future United States where the oil crisis has resulted in food rationing and energy restrictions, Etienne's debut is a dark, dramatic, but uneven call for ecological balance. Sixteen-year-old Faye Robson suffers from hallucinations, nightmares, and insomnia, and she can see secrets in people's minds by touching them. Her parents send her to Holbrook Academy on a Maine island, a school promoted as a caring place for troubled youth, which is actually a harsh and violent prison where the teens are mentally and physically tormented for the slightest transgression. When Faye and her assigned "Family" wake up every morning on the floor with their hands stained red and no memory of what's happened, she begins to connect current events to recovered memories of her childhood. Clues lead her to a century-old prophecy written in blood that predicts the coming of the Harbinger, a force that will wash the world clean, prompting Faye's resolve to stop the destruction of humanity. Tense and well-paced, Etienne's novel effectively draws in readers, but melodrama and mysticism lead to an overwrought and puzzling climax. Ages 12âup.

January 1, 2012
Debut author Etienne's novel tells the story of Faye Robson, a 16-year-old girl plagued by mysterious "episodes" and shipped off to Holbrook Academy by her parents, ostensibly for her own good. Thus betrayed by her family, Faye quickly connects with a small group of fellow students, bound together by mysterious happenings at the school. Desperate to uncover the secrets of her past, the source of her visions and the truth behind the frightening goings-on at Holbrook, Faye and her new "family" risk serious and painful consequences in their quest for answers. The novel has its share of plusses. Faye is an artist at heart, and the first-person narration, even when relaying the darkest and most gruesome aspects of the story, reflects Faye's vivid and sensuous view of the world. It also lends itself to an interesting perspective on Faye's internal struggles, particularly with regard to her love/hate relationship with her terrifying visions. Unfortunately, the resolution feels forced, the author having spent too much time reveling in dark, gory details to the detriment of the story. It's unfortunate that the more positive aspects of the novel are diluted by a confusing plot that takes too long to work itself out and has the potential to leave readers scratching their heads at the end. (Fantasy. 14 & up)

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April 1, 2012

Gr 7-10-In a bleak future time when the Earth's resources are depleted, six-year-old Faye has a mysterious incident on a beach resulting in strange behavior, hallucinations, nightmares, and ostracism. Ten years later, 16-year-old Faye is taken to Holbrook Academy, a boarding school for teens "struggling to cope with reality" on a coastal Maine island. After taking the required sleeping pills her first night, she escapes her room and cannot shake the fuzzy memory of music, drums, and chanting; nor can she shake the feelings she develops for Kel, with whom she bonds in a neighboring solitary confinement cell the next day. Faye's "family" unit includes her roommate, Maya; Kel; and three others, all plagued each morning with red-stained hands, while Faye and Maya also awake with red symbols painted on their floor. As Faye searches for the meaning of the symbols, she discovers that she has a purpose of apocalyptic importance. Etienne manages to pack a lot of popular YA story elements into this debut novel, such as dystopian societies, romance, teen misfits, and a boarding school, and she mixes many genres including mystery, thriller, paranormal, and fantasy. While the plot moves quickly, the story line is disjointed and the flow of the narrative is choppy. The accompanying Holbrook Academy map and tarot cards are a welcome addition to the book, and the cover is visually appealing.-Adrienne L. Strock, Maricopa County Library District, AZ

Copyright 2012 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

March 15, 2012
Grades 8-12 Relentlessly dark, Etienne's futuristic dystopian debut novel weaves together elements of psychological mystery, angsty teenagers raging against the machine, ancient ghosts, and a lot of blood. Faye is 16 and wonders if she might be going insane. Voices, visions, and dead animal bones recently have shaped her days, and she is heartbroken but unsurprised when her parents drop her off at grim Holbrook Academy on Maine's coast. The headmistress rules with a sadistic fist, and guards known as Takers carry out her orders with gleeful cruelty. Faye meets a family of other students to whom she discovers she is bound when they wake up every morning with their hands stained red. A boy named Kel catches her particular interest, and Faye slowly realizes there is an unusual connection between them. Fighting both her inner demons and the rigid minisociety holding her captive, Faye uncovers deep, dark secrets about Holbrook. The end's surprising events may confuse readers who expected something else from the description, but the plot twists and pace should keep the pages turning.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2012, American Library Association.)