Category: Teens

Fairytales, Family, Fantasy, Horror, Mystery, Suspense, Teens, Young Adult

The Whisperwood Legacy by Jo Schulte

Patricia McDonald Uttaro

Description

Knives Out meets The Hazel Wood in this twisty contemporary fantasy about an amusement park shrouded in dark secrets—and the family desperate to inherit it at any cost. 

Welcome to Whisperwood, a sprawling theme park nestled in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains, where thrilling rides and picture-perfect scenery bring cult-classic fairy tales to life. Or at least they did until eighteen months ago, when the family matriarch, Virginia Strauss, suddenly shut Whisperwood’s gates and the beloved park was left to wither away along with the family’s dwindling fortune.
 
For seventeen-year-old Frankie Strauss, Whisperwood’s closure has been a blessing in disguise. After seeing three generations of wealth’s corrupting influence, she is more than ready to shed the Strauss-family’s gilded handcuffs.
 
But when Virginia goes missing, Frankie realizes that her family might be guilty of something much worse than mere dysfunction. With the help of the mysterious and handsome groundskeeper Jem, Frankie sifts through a web of near truths and outright lies, uncovering a reality where nothing is as it seems and fairy tales aren’t just real—they’re deadly. 

My Thoughts

With nods to many, many sources – folkloric, modern film, YA horror – The Whisperwood Legacy turns them all inside out in this fabulous, creepy, dark fairytale. Just when I think I won’t find another author or story to surpass books like The Hazelwood and The Clackity, along comes something new that just blows my mind.

Emerging readers of dark fiction will adore this twisted, anxiety-ridden tale as our protagonists attempt to control a story centuries in the making. Schulte spins a tale that envelops you with sticky little tendrils that just won’t let go until the last little bit of your nerve has been shredded.

This one will be at the top of my October spooky reads list this year.

Highly recommended.

“Atmospheric and delightfully eerie with monstrous fairy tales and toothy secrets.”—CG Drews, New York Times bestselling author of Don’t Let the Forest In

Publication Date: May 27, 2025
Published By: Little Brown Books for Young Readers
Thanks to Netgalley for the review copy

Family, Mystery, Suspense, Teens, Women

God of the Woods by Liz Moore

Patricia McDonald Uttaro

Description

“Extraordinary…Reminds me of Donna Tartt’s 1992 debut, The Secret History…I was so thoroughly submerged in a rich fictional world, that for hours I barely came up for air.” – Maureen Corrigan, Fresh Air, NPR

When a teenager vanishes from her Adirondack summer camp, two worlds collide.

Early morning, August 1975: a camp counselor discovers an empty bunk. Its occupant, Barbara Van Laar, has gone missing. Barbara isn’t just any thirteen-year-old: she’s the daughter of the family that owns the summer camp and employs most of the region’s residents. And this isn’t the first time a Van Laar child has disappeared. Barbara’s older brother similarly vanished fourteen years ago, never to be found.

As a panicked search begins, a thrilling drama unfolds. Chasing down the layered secrets of the Van Laar family and the blue-collar community working in its shadow, Moore’s multi-threaded story invites readers into a rich and gripping dynasty of secrets and second chances. It is Liz Moore’s most ambitious and wide-reaching novel yet.

My Thoughts

I requested to review this book because of the location – a camp and community in the Adirondack Mountains in my home state of New York – and also because of my childhood fascination with sleep-away camp. The financial and social circumstances of my family were not those that made the possibility of sleep-away camp attainable, but that didn’t stop me from reading everything I could find about camp experiences, both good and bad. The mystery here is as bad as you can get – a camper disappears. And not just any camper, but the daughter of the wealthy family that owns the campground. The ensuing story covers the full-on search for the camper but also expands to recount the mystery surrounding the disappearance of the camper’s brother 10 years prior.

Told in short-form, alternating viewpoints, I admit I sometimes found it hard to keep everyone straight. However, the stories of two people provided the thread holding it all together – those of Judyta and Tracy, a rookie cop and the closest friend the lost camper had on-site. Their insights to both the camper and to the search process hold the story together.

Tbh, I have little sympathy for “poor-little-rich-girl” stories, but Moore does a decent job of humanizing the women in this story, especially Alice, TJ, and Barbara. I found the end very satisfying, for both plot lines – the death of Bear Van Laar and the disappearance of his sister Barbara. I found myself whipping through the final 20% of the story just to find out what happened.

Definitely recommended.

Publication Date: July 2, 2024
Published By: Penguin Group Riverhead
Thanks to Netgalley for the review copy

Family, Folktales, Suspense, Teens

Rick Riordan Presents: It Waits in the Forest by Sarah Dass

Patricia McDonald Uttaro

Description

The very first thriller from Rick Riordan Presents! Drawing from the darkest corners of Caribbean mythology, acclaimed author Sarah Dass crafts a chilling tale of magic, murder, and how far we’ll go to protect what’s ours—perfect for fans of Angeline Boulley and Tiffany D. Jackson.

Unlike the other residents of the small Caribbean Island of St. Virgil, Selina DaSilva does not believe in magic. With a logical mind and a knack for botany, Selina used to dream of leaving the island to study Pharmacology—until a vicious, unsolved attack left her father dead and her mother in a coma.

Now her guilt over her mother’s condition keeps her tethered to the island, relegated to conning gullible tourists with useless talismans and phony protection rituals. But when one of those tourists ends up at the center of a string of strange murders, the truth that Selina has been denying can no longer be avoided: there is evil lurking in the forests that surround St. Virgil. Another thing that can’t be avoided? Selina’s ex-boyfriend Gabriel, newly employed at the local newspaper and eager to put his investigative skills to use.

Desperate to put an end to the killings and claim justice for Selina’s family, these two former lovers race to find answers. But evil bides its time. And as long-buried feelings and long-hidden secrets about Selina’s family’s past begin to reveal themselves, only one answer remains—and it waits in the forest.

My Thoughts

A Rick Riordan and Sarah Dass collaboration produces a dynamite book? Shocker, I know.

This is everything I expected and more. It’s an ancient trope at the heart of the story, but Dass drapes the old “selling your soul” skeleton with plenty of modern dress. There are some great plot twists and one really terrifying underwater scene near the end that only further reinforced my irrational fear of swimming in anything but a pool with a defined bottom.

The Rick Riordan Presents series has introduced me to so many new stories from world folklore. This one is another winner.

Publication Date: May 14, 2024
Published By: Disney Publishing Worldwide
Thanks to Netgalley for the review copy

Family, Fantasy, Folktales, Magical Realism, Mystery, Teens, Young Adult

Under the Heron’s Light by Randi Pink

Patricia McDonald Uttaro

Description

Inspired by stories about the real-world Great Dismal Swamp, this dual POV Young Adult fantasy by Randi Pink explores alternate history, a family’s supernatural connections to the swamp, and the strength that comes in knowing your roots.

“Four thousand six hundred forty-two steps in,” Grannylou interrupted. “You remember that now, Baby. Four-thousand six hundred forty-two steps to paradise.”

On a damp night in 1722, Babylou Mac and her three siblings witness the murder of their mother at the hands of the local preacher’s son—so Babylou kills him in retaliation. With plantation dogs now on their heels, the four siblings breach the treacherous confines of the Great Dismal Swamp. Deeper and deeper into Dismal they delve, amid the biting moccasins and pitch-black waters, toward a refuge where they can live freely within the swamp’s natural—and supernatural—protection.

Three-hundred years later, college student Atlas comes home to North Carolina for the annual Bornday cookout and hog roast: a celebration of the fact that she and her three cousins were all born on the same day nineteen years ago, sharing a birthday with their Grannylou. But this Bornday, Grannylou’s usual riddles and folktales about a marvelous paradise deep in the Great Dismal Swamp start to take on a tangible quality. Change coming.

When Dismal calls, sucking Grannylou in, it’s up to Atlas and her cousins to uncover the history that the black waters hold. Centuries of family tension, with roots all over Virginia and North Carolina, are about to be dug up. Because Babylou and Grannylou are one and the same, and the power she helped cultivate hundreds of years ago—steeped in Black resistance, familial love, and the otherworldly mysteries of the Great Dismal Swamp—is bubbling back up. But so is a bitterness that runs deep as the swamp’s waters. And some are ready to take what they feel they’re owed.

My Thoughts

This is a complex, absolutely gripping novel that crosses genres to create one of the best stories of the year. Pink introduces plenty of southern Black folklore regarding the Great Dismal Swamp, and does a fabulous job of incorporating original takes on traditional folklore to create an unusual and authentic world of magic.

However, this is also a story about family – connections, betrayals, unshakable love, protection, and redemption. It is a book that requires the reader to pay attention and be fully immersed in the story – coming eye to eye with moccasins, feeling the black water of the swamp pool over your feet and the mud squish beneath you.

Pink does some extraordinary storytelling here that will both challenge and engross the reader. If this doesn’t become a movie or series, I will be very disappointed.

Highly recommended.

Publication Date: October 15, 2024
Published By: MacMillan Children’s Publishing Group | Feiwel & Friends
Thanks to Netgalley for the review copy

Fairytales, Fantasy, Horror, Magical, Mystery, Teens

Starlings by Amanda Linsmeier

Patricia McDonald Uttaro

Description

A dark YA fantasy debut perfect for fans of House of Hollow and Small Favors. In the wake of her father’s death, a teen girl discovers a side of her family she didn’t know existed, and is pulled into a dark—and ancient—bargain she is next in line to fulfill.

Kit’s father always told her he had no family, but his sudden death revealed the truth. Now Kit has a grandmother she never knew she had—Agatha Starling—and an invitation to visit her father’s hometown, Rosemont. 

And Rosemont is picture perfect: the famed eternal roses bloom all year, downtown is straight out of the 1950s . . . there’s even a cute guy to show Kit around.

The longer Kit’s there, though, the stranger it all feels. The Starling family is revered, but there’s something off about how the Starling women seem to be at the center of the all the town’s important history. And as welcoming as the locals are, Kit can’t shake the feeling that they’re hiding something from her.

Agatha is so happy to finally meet her only granddaughter, and the town is truly charming, but Kit can’t help wondering, if everything is so great in Rosemont, why did her father leave? And why does it seem like he never wanted her to find it?

My Thoughts

This dark but uber-compelling blend of fantasy and horror with a touch of fairy tale will keep readers glued to their seats, devouring this in one sitting.

The base story is somewhat familiar – parent keeps their family secret from child, child is key to some age-old ceremonial activity, child kicks butt and breaks curse. In the hands of a less skilled writer, this could be second-rate drivel, but Linsmeier is no second-rate hack. Her plot is well-constructed and very clever, and her narrative prose is lovely and horrifying at the same time. I look forward to more from this debut author.

Fans of fantasy-horror will adore this.

Publication Date: June 27, 2023
Published By: Random House Children’s, Delacorte Press
Thanks to Netgalley for the review copy

Fantasy, Magical, Mystery, Teens

Rook by William Ritter

Patricia McDonald Uttaro

Description

This standalone adventure set in the world of the New York Times bestselling Jackaby series brims with humor, heart, and—of course—a hefty dose of supernatural mayhem.

Abigail Rook never intended to be the mortal bridge between the human and supernatural world. But now, the power of the Sight–and all the chaos that comes with seeing the essential truth of everything, every human, fairy, werewolf, enchanted slip of paper, and municipal building, at all times–is hers alone. With this overwhelming new gift, she should be able to solve crimes and help New Fiddleham, New England find calm in its supernatural chaos. 

The only problem? She has no idea what she’s doing.

And New Fiddleham isn’t waiting for Abigail to be ready. Local witches and other magical beings are going missing, as tensions between human and supernatural residents curdle into a hatred that could tear the city apart. Abigail’s fiance, Charlie, works alongside her to unravel the magical disappearances, but as a shapeshifter, he’s under threat as well. Then Abigail’s parents appear, ready to take her back to England and marry her off to someone she’s never met. Abigail has no choice but to follow her Sight, her instincts, and any clues she can find to track a culprit who is trying destroy everything she holds dear.

My Thoughts

This newest entry into the world of Ritter’s popular Jackaby series picks up with Abigail Rook getting used to being the Seer of New Fiddleham. She struggles to accept this momentous change to her life, complicated by guilt at having inherited the Seer ability from Jackaby, who is also trying to adapt to life without the sight.

Complicated is a good word for what’s going on here. As usual, it’s a good story and includes the colorful characters fans have come to love. There’s a lot going on, and lots to keep straight, which is challenging if it’s been awhile since you read the last book. It’s wonderful to see an entire book devoted to Abigail, who has been a character of strength and interest since her first appearance, right off the boat and wearing a coatful of pixies.

Even so, fans will adore this and will be looking for more from this author.

Publication Date: August 22, 2023
Published By: Algonquin Young Readers
Thanks to Netgalley for the review copy

Children's, Fantasy, Magical, Middle Grade, Mystery, New Releases, Teens, Young Adult

New From Penguin Random House

Patricia McDonald Uttaro

I recently received a lovely package of upcoming middle grade and young adult books from Penguin Random House and thought I’d give you all a taste of what’s to come!

The Winterton Deception #1: Final Word by Janet Sumner Johnson

In this twisty middle grade mystery for fans of Knives Out, The Inheritance Game, and The Westing Game, thirteen-year-old twins Hope and Gordon enter a spelling bee in a last-ditch effort to save their family from financial ruin, only to find themselves in a cut-throat competition to uncover a fortune and dark secrets about the wealthy relations they’ve never known. Coming October 24, 2023.

The Curious Vanishing of Beatrice Willoughby by G.Z. Schmidt

When six-year-old Beatrice Willoughby vanished at the Amadeuses’ annual All Hallows Eve party, people in the tiny mountain town of Nevermore were quick to whisper: They were always odd. Their house is full of dark magic. And when Mort Amadeus was pegged for the crime, the Amadeuses, once the center of society, retreated. They closed their doors, disappeared from life. People almost forgot. Until thirteen years later, when six envelopes land at the doorstep of six households in town: We cordially invite you to a celebration on the 31st of October this Saturday evening at the Amadeus household. So begins the mystery of who was really responsible for the missing girl thirteen years ago. Coming September 5, 2023.

Dawnbreaker by Jodi Meadows

The thin membrane of magic separating the human and demonic planes has been destroyed. Nightrender, the immortal warrior of the gods, must find a way to rebuild it, but Hanne—the serpent girl, always too cunning to be trusted, too hungry for power—has become High Queen, and is too consumed with ambition to cooperate. Meanwhile, Rune—married to Hanne, but in love with Nightrender—is lost in the realm of demons after a disastrous battle, wandering alone in a  twisted landscape of mercury seas, black-glass spires, and winds blowing ash … In this second and final installment of the Nightrender duology, the circle will close, and the world will be saved—or burnt to a cinder. Coming November 7, 2023.

Plotting the Stars: Seagarden by Michelle A. Barry

Forced to hide her new-found magic or risk imprisonment or worse, Myra enrolls in an interplanetary academy exchange program to dig up more about the government’s many conspiracies, but instead uproots even darker secrets that could drown everything she’s grown to trust. The second book in the searing STEAM-inspired Plotting the Stars middle grade series perfect for fans of The City of Ember and Divergent. Coming October 3, 2023.

Nightspark by Michael Mann

Michael Mann returns for the riveting sequel to Ghostcloud! Several months after the ghosts freed the children of Battersea and uncovered Tabatha Margate’s sinister experimentation on ghostclouds and cloudghouls, Luke Smith-Sharma struggles to divide his time between learning the ropes of being a ghostcloud and studying to become a detective. But not everyone made it out of the power station, and as he tries to adjust to “normal” life by pursuing his dreams, the guilt over his friends left behind is eating Luke alive. Coming October 10, 2023.

Before the Devil Knows You’re Here by Autumn Krause 

Part folkloric fantasy, part journey into the bizarre, this delicious blending of tall tales and Latin American surrealism will haunt you as you devour it! It’s 1836, Wisconsin. Catalina lives with her pa and brother in a ramshackle cabin on the edge of the wilderness. Mamá died years ago, and the harsh winters have brought the family to the brink of starvation. Catalina has replaced her poet’s soul with an unyielding determination to keep Pa and her brother alive, period. Coming October 3, 2023.

I have been so impressed by the quality of middle grade fiction coming out in the last couple of years. The authors represented here by PRH are fantastic, and I’ll add some other favorites: B.B. Alston, Angie Thomas, Lora Senf, Nic Stone, Katherine Arden, Jess Redman, MarcyKate Connelly, and Kenneth Oppel. If you have middle grade readers in your life, check out these authors!

Makes You Think, Teens, Women

The Gospel of Orla by Eoghan Walls

Patricia McDonald Uttaro

Description

Most anticipated in the IRISH TIMES, TORONTO STAR, and the BOOK CULTURE newsletter • INDIE NEXT LIST PICK • LIBRARY READS SELECTION • PERFECT FOR BOOK CLUBS • DEBUT NOVEL

“A consistently surprising, evocative, almost impossible to put down, and gloriously original work.” —Booklist

A stunning debut novel from the Northern Irish poet Eoghan Walls, The Gospel of Orla is the coming-of-age story of a young girl, Orla, and the man she meets who has an astonishing and unique ability.

It is also a road novel that takes us across the north of England after the two flee Orla’s village together. Here the mysteries of faith charge full bore into the vagaries of contemporary mores. A humorous, wise, deeply human and sometimes breathtaking work of lyrical fiction. 

“A melancholic, funny, and magical coming-of-age story, The Gospel of Orla is glorious, wise, and totally weird. I loved it.” —Annie Hartnett, author of Unlikely Animals

“Utterly convincing and fresh and original.” —Colm Tóibín, author of The Magician

“In his debut novel, poet Eoghan Walls imagines the intersection of the material and the mystic. . . . As the troubled teenager ricochets between circus illusion and divine touch, she and the reader are beckoned to ponder where magic ends and miracles begin.” —Kia Corthron, author of Moon and the Mars

Advance Praise

“A melancholic, funny, and magical coming-of-age story, The Gospel of Orla is glorious, wise, and totally weird. I loved it.” —Annie Hartnett, author of Unlikely Animals

“The Gospel of Orla is written with immense control and precision so that the voice of the protagonist emerges as alive, individual and memorable. Eoghan Walls manages to make every single emotion Orla feels—every thought, response and action—utterly convincing and fresh and original.”—Colm Tóibín, author of The Magician

“In his debut novel, poet Eoghan Walls imagines the intersection of the material and the mystic when a grieving adolescent stumbles upon a struggling savior. Walls provides an authentic and page-turning narrative from the perspective of his restless and ever-beguiling protagonist. As the troubled teenager ricochets between circus illusion and divine touch, she and the reader are beckoned to ponder where magic ends and miracles begin.” —Kia Corthron, author of Moon and the Mars

“The Gospel of Orla is an astonishing feat of characterization and storytelling. The prose is both earthy and sparkling and the story—equal parts bravado and vulnerability—is told with both wit and tenderness. Everyone should read this.” —Jenn Ashworth, author of Ghosted

My Thoughts

I will be thinking about this short book for a very long time.

The anger, confusion, pain, and loneliness Orla experiences following the death of her mother peeled back years of forgetting for me. I was Orla in 1984 when my mother died and so I immediately connected with this character. Grief is a lonely and solitary thing. Each person affected experiences it differently, and Walls does a masterful job of depicting the monumental changes to Orla’s life and that of her father.

That feeling that everything will be okay if Orla can just get to Ireland – that’s part of the grieving process. This is a raw look at how grief tears people up and makes them do things they never would have done before the grief took hold. If you know, you know.

Publication Date: March 7, 2023
Published By: Seven Stories Press
Thanks to Netgalley for the review copy

Graphic Novel, Teens, Young Adult

Codex Black: A Fire Among the Clouds by Camila Mancada Lozano & Angel De Santiago

Patricia McDonald Uttaro

Guest post by Cathy Kyle

This was a great introduction to Aztec history and mythology which is rarely written about in comic books, especially those that are geared for teens. Teens have lots to read about Greek mythology, but as far as I know, Aztec mythology is underrepresented, which is a shame because this was fascinating. Many different Aztec words are used and the author made sure to include the definitions. I think this adds to its interest factor and the authenticity.

The story follows two teens: a girl named Donaji of Quie Yelaag and a boy named Itzcacalott, a Mexica warrior. They meet in the middle of the woods, while Donaji is attempting to find her father and Itzcacalott is trying to find himself in amongst all his fellow warriors. At first, their relationship was built mainly upon trying to get out of the woods, but then they become strong friends, which becomes important as they begin fighting beasts, thieves and malevolent gods.

What makes these two teens special? Donaji has a god living in her poncho (which used to be her dad’s). This godlike poncho makes Donaji stronger and more resistant to all sorts of illnessess, damages and poisons, but it doesn’t leave her free from harm. Excessive fighting depletes her energy quickly and she can die just like anyone else. Itzcacalott, who is obsessed with crows and creates a warrior costume out of shed wings, suddenly gets wings of his own, which helps in all of their battles.

The art is both light and dark. The illustrations of Donaji and Itzcacalott are both big eyed and smiling, while the evil characters are very dark and sometimes disturbing. Anyone interested in a headless creature with an open chest so you can view their heart? You’ll find it here.

This is a great read that I may not have otherwise picked up, so I was grateful for the opportunity. Recommended for graphic novel collections.

Publication Date: April 4, 2023
Published By: Penguin Random House
Thanks to the Publisher for the review copy