The Darkness Rises

Gr 9 Up–Whitney has a secret—she can see dark clouds over people’s heads when their deaths are imminent. This gift makes her feel special as she saves people’s lives, but tragedy occurs when a boy she saves from dying by suicide commits a mass shooting at a high school football game. A year after the tragedy, Whitney feels like her gift is a curse and doesn’t want to save anyone. The guilt she feels is tremendous, but she can’t tell anyone she saved the one who then hurt so many. Only she and her grandmother, who shares her talent, know the truth—or so she thinks. Mysterious notes suddenly appear filled with threats about exposing what she’s done and revealing all her magical secrets, unless she turns herself in as an accomplice. This mysterious person wants revenge for the tragedy. With twists and turns readers definitely won’t expect, this story takes a very heavy topic and through speculative storytelling explores the reverse idea of the film It’s A Wonderful Life; it’s not about never being born, but the idea of not dying when you are supposed to, and the ripple effects on the future. Are all lives worth saving? And should you be the one to make those choices? Stokes knows how to write edge-of-your-seat scenes and excels at revealing tidbits of info just when readers need them—but still leaves one guessing what will happen next.