07/01/2024
Gr 9 Up—Jo and her family are reeling after the sudden death of Jo's older sister, Audrey, who was athletic, popular, destined for a scholarship to the school of her choice, and the center of their collective universe. When Audrey mysteriously reappears after her burial and finds Jo, she is confused, cold, and content to stay in the shed. Also, she no longer needs to breathe or sleep, and is very, very hungry—though only for one particular food. Jo is determined to do whatever it takes not to lose her sister again. As Audrey's needs grow, Jo is forced to face the possibility that, in life as well as death, Audrey was not who she thought she was and begins to reexamine her own role within the grieving family. Jo starts to slip into Audrey's former life, including seeing Audrey's boyfriend, a departure from her romantic interest in girls. Fans of Tim Seeley's "Revival" series will enjoy Audrey's gory and emotionally complicated return. International vampire lore enthusiasts will enjoy the vibes of Alexei Tolstoy's The Family of the Vourdalak. The book is exceptional, however, in that true vampirism comes from the common occurrence of a family in which one member consumes all of the oxygen, leaving the others to support them despite their own dwindling reserves. The result is a poignant look at family dynamics and will resonate deeply with teens who have experienced an inequality of attention, supernatural sibling or not. Major characters read as white. VERDICT A well-written and thoughtful approach to emotional vampirism for collections serving high schoolers.—Sarah Maciejewski