Publishers Weekly
10/19/2015
In Wallace’s gritty paranormal debut, 17-year-old Breezy wakes up in a shallow grave a year after she was murdered and buried, with no memory of what happened. She soon discovers that she can sense when someone has killed—and mete out dark justice of her own—but she doesn’t want this power; all she wants is her life back. As Breezy navigates her unlife, she meets fellow “monsters” of various stripes and a creepy cult leader, Pastor Willow, who claims he can “fix” them by excising the darkness within. Writing in Breezy’s pragmatic and engaging voice, Wallace weaves an unsettling tale that explores Breezy’s strange existence, while also thoughtfully examining a life cut short and Breezy’s longings for what could have been. Breezy’s clinical approach to her new state of being is darkly humorous (she makes a list of all the ways she tries to kill herself, once and for all), but her struggle to reconcile what she has become with the human she used to be forms the heart of this bittersweet story. Ages 14–up. Agent: Adriann Ranta, Wolf Literary Services. (Jan.)
From the Publisher
A fast-paced story with an interesting hook, and a thoughtful look at what it means to be human versus what it means to be a monster. The end result is a superbly crafted debut bound to entrance.” — Booklist (starred review)
“Kali Wallace has created a world that’s both natural and unsettling …and reminds us with Breezy’s story that true terror is not a monster, but what lurks in the dark corners of human nature.” — Madeleine Roux, New York Times bestselling author of the Asylum series.
“Shallow Graves is a stunner. Gripping, gory, and insightful.” — Kendare Blake, author of Anna Dressed in Blood and Antigoddess
“Constantly entertaining, intriguing, and suspenseful.” — Kirkus Reviews
“A fast-paced ride through a dark, imaginative world.” — Mindy McGinnis, author of Not a Drop to Drink and A Madness So Discreet
“A phenomenally written, spine-chilling story...sure to keep you up all night.” — Kimberly Derting, author of the Body Finder series
“Writing in Breezy’s pragmatic and engaging voice, Wallace weaves an unsettling tale that explores Breezy’s strange existence, while also thoughtfully examining a life cut short...her struggle to reconcile what she has become with the human she used to be forms the heart of this bittersweet story.” — Publishers Weekly
Mindy McGinnis
A fast-paced ride through a dark, imaginative world.
Kimberly Derting
A phenomenally written, spine-chilling story...sure to keep you up all night.
Madeleine Roux
Kali Wallace has created a world that’s both natural and unsettling …and reminds us with Breezy’s story that true terror is not a monster, but what lurks in the dark corners of human nature.
Kendare Blake
Shallow Graves is a stunner. Gripping, gory, and insightful.
Booklist (starred review)
A fast-paced story with an interesting hook, and a thoughtful look at what it means to be human versus what it means to be a monster. The end result is a superbly crafted debut bound to entrance.
School Library Journal
12/01/2015
Gr 7 Up—This title will initially grab readers with the mystery of Breezy's death and her new undead identity, but many will be left dissatisfied. Breezy Lin doesn't remember her death, but she does remember waking up in a shallow grave a year later, clawing her way to the surface, and killing with just one touch the man who woke her. Now she's wandering, testing the limits of what her body can handle (because she definitely can't die again) and taking out murderers, whom she can sense by the shadows surrounding them. But when she's directed to a church with a ministry for runaway youth, she realizes the secret of her past. Wallace experiments with narrative structure, unveiling Breezy's personality via flashbacks, memories, and her philosophical musings, but her treatment of the present is less compelling. Breezy is directionless until she finds herself running for her life, but even then she's not committed to anything in particular (learning more about her new nature, understanding the world she's discovered, avenging herself, hunting down murderers) for very long. Except for a stilted conversation in which Breezy asks a new companion which kinds of seemingly fictional creatures (ghosts, unicorns, vampires, and so on) are real, very little of the paranormal world is revealed. This peculiar lack of curiosity about the world Wallace has created spoils what might otherwise have been an intriguing paranormal mystery. VERDICT Too shallow a world and too aimless a protagonist.—Gretchen Kolderup, New York Public Library
Kirkus Reviews
2015-09-21
A girl wakes up a year after her murder to discover new, supernatural powers. As she was only in a shallow grave, she easily kills the man who digs her up. Breezy can now tell if people are killers. If they are, she can grip their arms and pull them into a seemingly natural death. Once she kills them she gains their memories of murder. She meets a boy who tries to recruit her into a cult, but its leader, Mr. Willow, sees that she is a monster. When she tries to leave, she's captured, awakening in a locked room with another woman, who has different powers. Once they overpower the guard, Breezy embarks on a mission to find and kill Mr. Willow, a task that proves to be even more dangerous than she might have realized. She also wants to learn just what kind of monster she has become; two ghouls, seemingly normal young men except for their dietary needs, help her. Wallace includes flashbacks of the events that led to Breezy's murder at the age of 17, building a complete narrative that leads to a marvelously suspenseful climax. Unfolding through the eyes of the monster, the story first flips readers' sympathies, then plays with that reversal. Mr. Willow makes a formidable villain, but it's the final, real monster near the conclusion that wows readers. Constantly entertaining, intriguing, and suspenseful. (Paranormal suspense. 12-18)
