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For as long as seventeen-year-old Kami Glass can remember, two things have been true of her life in small-town Sorry-in-the-Vale: the townsfolk have whispered about the powerful Lynburn family, and Kami has talked to a boy named Jared in her head. When the Lynburns return to Sorry-in-the-Vale after (coincidentally?) a seventeen-year absence, the townsfolk are spooked, but Kami is intrigued. Her initial professional curiosity as lead investigative reporter for the school newspaper takes a wrenchingly personal turn when she learns that one of the newly arrived teenage Lynburns is Jared -- the boy Kami has always believed to be a figment of her imagination. As the pair works to find the cause of their telepathic bond, they stumble upon the larger, related mystery of Sorry-in-the-Vale’s magical (and bloody) history. Witty, take-charge Kami reads a bit like a British Veronica Mars, and troubled Jared, uncovering his own dark legacy alongside her, is compelling. Brennan thoughtfully and thoroughly explores the implications of sharing a psychic connection; for Kami and Jared, it’s by turns comforting, romantic, and agonizing. After this first installment -- full of mystery, magic, and nods to both the girl detective genre and gothic romance -- readers will be impatiently awaiting the next. katie bircher
Kami and Jared share a telepathic bond; as they work to find the cause of their connection, they stumble upon the larger, related mystery of their town's magical (and bloody) history. Witty, take-charge Kami reads a bit like a British Veronica Mars, and troubled Jared, uncovering his own dark legacy alongside her, is compelling. Readers will be impatiently awaiting the next installment.
Sarah Rees Brennan has created a quirky, magnetic protagonist in Kami Glass, a self-possessed, funny, and completely believable character who grounds the unusual and paranormal events in this intricately plotted gothic novel. Sorry-in-the-Vale is an appealingly creepy setting, full of antique houses (“all stone and arches, turning echoes into ghosts”), dark forests (“the woods held the glittering lights of Sorry-in-the-Vale like a handful of stars in a shadowy palm”), and long-established residents who hint at the horrible power of the Lynburns (“‘I wish they’d never come back’”). Brennan’s fluid, often amusing dialogue will keep readers entertained. For example, when Kami’s best friend, Angela, calls her crazy, Kami replies, “‘They said that about all the great visionaries.’” To which Angela retorts, “‘You know who else they said it about? . . . All the actual crazy people.’” Teens will identify with and be captivated by the nuanced relationship between Kami and Jared, especially Kami’s fear that Jared desires her only because of their unique ability to communicate and not for who she really is.
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