Beneath

September 1, 2014
Jess hasn't visited Roseroot Pool since the day she felt an unseen presence stalking her there (in 1577 Scotland, wolves still roam); letting Freya talk her into returning, Jess watches, helpless and horrified, as a dark horse first abducts, then disappears into the pool with her friend. Freya's family is devastated, but only Jess' grandmother, Ellen, believes her story. Kelpies, shape-shifters with a penchant for stealing human children, she says, are responsible-not just for Freya's disappearance, but for others as well, including, many years earlier, Ellen's cousin Euan. Learning that a taken child can be rescued from the kelpie world, Jess is determined to bring Freya back. This proves more complicated than Jess expected. She's powerfully drawn to Finn, the handsome kelpie she forces to help her, and to his strangely beautiful, sparsely populated land. For his part, Finn, whose father is Ellen's cousin Euan, has long been obsessed with Jess, but they part when she leaves with Freya. Safely home, normal life resumes, and Jess enjoys a budding romance with Freya's cousin Magnus-until Finn is discovered nearly dead in the snow, banished from his family and his world. This is a gentle, even conventional fantasy, related in formal, sometimes-heightened language that makes the most of the story's evocative setting. Give this Scottish import to lovers of horses and folkloric fantasy. (Historical fantasy. 10-14)

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September 1, 2014

Gr 6-9-A tale in which a paranormal-stalker becomes paranormal-love-interest, this novel tracks 16th-century farm girl Jess through her discovery of the world of the Kelpies, which has been carefully concealed by her townsfolk for years. Finn, a Kelpie, has been coming to the human world to keep an eye on the wolves that escape from his realm to the world above, as well as to watch Jess obsessively. He makes the decision to steal her away to his world forever, but in his haste, he takes her friend Freya. After failing to get anyone to believe her story of Freya's disappearance, Jess captures Finn and enters the Kelpie world on her own. After she ensures Freya's safe return, and in spite of the circumstances, Jess continues to think about Finn. She becomes caught in a love triangle between the slightly dangerous and forbidden feelings she has for Finn and the safe and comforting love she feels for Freya's strapping cousin, Magnus. Things become more complicated when the binding that keeps the wolves from the Kelpie world out of the human one wears off and the two groups must work together to avoid disaster. While the plot has exciting moments, the character development is minimal and it's hard to understand why Finn and Magnus are so taken with Jess. Her choice between the two ultimately seems tacked on, and the story feels somewhat unfinished. While Beneath may appeal to burgeoning paranormal romance readers, it is recommended as an additional purchase.-Joanna Sondheim, Columbia Grammar & Preparatory School, New York City

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