JULY 2019 - AudioFile
Nicol Zanzarella narrates this fun new YA audiobook, which Aguirre herself dubs “Stranger Things meets The Lake House.” Its unfolding mysteries only get more interesting with each chapter. Aguirre is a master of poignant imagery, which transitions to audio beautifully. Her well-developed characters are enhanced by Zanzarella’s excellent vocal portraits. The only odd thing is that the main character, Araceli, an exchange student from South America, is portrayed without an accent. However, between Zanzarella’s proficient character differentiation and the series of intriguing mysteries, listeners probably won’t mind. Overall, this is perfect for those who like their stories outside the box. N.H. © AudioFile 2019, Portland, Maine
From the Publisher
"..will appeal to YA Stranger Things fans, and the myriad cross-genre elements will draw readers of all kinds." --Booklist
"A unique and genre-bending tale; there are elements of a historical romance, a science fiction ghost story, and a spy thriller."--School Library Journal
School Library Journal
06/01/2019
Gr 8 Up—Araceli Flores Harper has been sent to spend her senior year of high school in a small town in upstate New York, in a ramshackle Victorian mansion, with a great-aunt she has never met. When she finds an old box in the attic, she begins corresponding with a soldier from the First World War. Then Araceli learns that people have been disappearing mysteriously for years, and there are strange lights and occurrences around a security-laden research compound in the woods. This is a unique and genre-bending tale; there are elements of a historical romance, a science fiction ghost story, and a spy thriller. However, the writing style, especially at the beginning of the novel, seems heavy-handed. Rather than setting the scene of an eerily empty small town, the narrator states that it is a strange place without much description. The rushed style may be due to the author attempting to cover so many different plotlines at once—Araceli is the new girl at school, falling in love with a World War I soldier and uncovering an underground experiment—but the way Aguirre ties together the disparate threads makes for a satisfying conclusion. A unique and exciting story imperfectly executed. VERDICT An additional purchase but with cross-genre appeal.—Jeri Murphy, C.F. Simmons Middle School, Aurora, IL
JULY 2019 - AudioFile
Nicol Zanzarella narrates this fun new YA audiobook, which Aguirre herself dubs “Stranger Things meets The Lake House.” Its unfolding mysteries only get more interesting with each chapter. Aguirre is a master of poignant imagery, which transitions to audio beautifully. Her well-developed characters are enhanced by Zanzarella’s excellent vocal portraits. The only odd thing is that the main character, Araceli, an exchange student from South America, is portrayed without an accent. However, between Zanzarella’s proficient character differentiation and the series of intriguing mysteries, listeners probably won’t mind. Overall, this is perfect for those who like their stories outside the box. N.H. © AudioFile 2019, Portland, Maine
Kirkus Reviews
2019-04-28
A fast-paced paranormal romance blends teen life with thrilling covert exploits.
Having traveled extensively with her journalist parents, Araceli Flores Harper is used to unusual experiences in far-flung locales. Senior year in exile at her great-aunt's crumbling Victorian home in rural New York state promises to be dull by comparison, but nothing could have prepared Araceli for the strange, frightening, and dangerous aspects of her newest home. Araceli, whose mother is white and American and father is Mexican, discovers that the town's deep-seated racism coupled with recent mysterious disappearances are keeping everyone in her ethnically and sexually diverse circle of new friends on edge. Digging into the details surrounding the town's secretive government research facility just creates more questions—and risk—as Araceli struggles to find a connection between the ghosts of the past and the current conflict in which she's embroiled. Despite juggling dance team tryouts, learning to drive, and investigating leads, Araceli finds time to establish a romantic pen-pal relationship with an enigmatic stranger. Add this to the ever growing list of bizarre phenomena that she must navigate, and readers may find themselves wondering what to focus on. Social consciousness is woven naturally into the story, leaving readers with something more substantial to think on after the book has ended.
Aguirre (The Shadow Warrior, 2019, etc.) writes compelling and accessible characters who fumble through complicated supernatural situations with humor and grit. (Supernatural thriller. 13-18)
