Olson provides chills and thrills…truly original.” — Kirkus Reviews
“Olson uses her journalism background to great effect. Letters, newspaper clippings, and vintage photographs from Gretchen’s ancestors’ time provide added detail as Gretchen tries to solve both the racially charged mysteries of the past and the secret behind her mother’s disappearance in this atmospheric exploration of family sins.” — Booklist
“Sharp character development means that ghost fans will attach to Gretchen quickly, investing in their ultimate success while also enjoying the creepiness of the haunted house. ” — Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books
“A goose-bump–raising psychological thriller that will engross even the most jaded mystery enthusiast.” — Kirkus on Twisted Fate
“A riveting, addictive, suspense filled story that haunted me for days. If you’re looking for a mysterious, fast-paced, compelling read, this book delivers.” — Alyson Noel, #1 New York Times bestselling author, on Twisted Fate
“Sexy, complex, and unrelentingly tense, Twisted Fate is a dark, psychological thriller that will set your heart racing.” — Gretchen McNeil, author of Ten and Get Even, on Twisted Fate
“A creepy, slow-burn thriller. Olson creates a suspenseful story that gets under your skin. You’ll be thinking about it for days afterwards.” — Georgia Clark, author of Parched, on Twisted Fate
“Will keep readers guessing until the very last page.” — School Library Journal on Twisted Fate
A creepy, slow-burn thriller. Olson creates a suspenseful story that gets under your skin. You’ll be thinking about it for days afterwards.
Olson uses her journalism background to great effect. Letters, newspaper clippings, and vintage photographs from Gretchen’s ancestors’ time provide added detail as Gretchen tries to solve both the racially charged mysteries of the past and the secret behind her mother’s disappearance in this atmospheric exploration of family sins.
A riveting, addictive, suspense filled story that haunted me for days. If you’re looking for a mysterious, fast-paced, compelling read, this book delivers.
Sexy, complex, and unrelentingly tense, Twisted Fate is a dark, psychological thriller that will set your heart racing.
Sharp character development means that ghost fans will attach to Gretchen quickly, investing in their ultimate success while also enjoying the creepiness of the haunted house.
Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books
Sharp character development means that ghost fans will attach to Gretchen quickly, investing in their ultimate success while also enjoying the creepiness of the haunted house.
Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books
Olson uses her journalism background to great effect. Letters, newspaper clippings, and vintage photographs from Gretchen’s ancestors’ time provide added detail as Gretchen tries to solve both the racially charged mysteries of the past and the secret behind her mother’s disappearance in this atmospheric exploration of family sins.
06/01/2016 Gr 8 Up—Gretchen is a high school student looking forward to a summer in New York City when she receives a letter from her estranged great-aunt Esther. She discovers that she has inherited her family's mansion. Gretchen's mother mysteriously disappeared a few years earlier, and the teen hopes to find some answers by traveling to the Axton mansion. Gretchen is unexpectedly left alone in the house and begins to encounter ghostly visions. This tale is mostly a ghost story but also has aspects of historical fiction, as Gretchen uncovers the truth about her ancestors. She finds stacks of pictures and letters that help her piece together that her family were abolitionists who aided slaves escaping their masters. The narrative becomes a bit of a mystery as Gretchen and her new neighbors, Hawk and Hope, try to get to the bottom of what happened on the site of the mansion and why there are sinister, creepy characters in the house. The haunting truth is exposed after two hectic days, which strains credulity. Readers will be wondering why Gretchen's mother and aunt couldn't figure it out in 40 years. Fans of Ransom Riggs's Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children will enjoy this horror tale. Interior art often opens each chapter and is peppered throughout, adding to the haunting effect. VERDICT A title recommended for any collection in need of a unique horror story that has more than just ghosts.—Morgan O'Reilly, Riverdale Country School, NY
2016-03-16 Sixteen-year-old Gretchen, whose mother, a renowned specialist in spiritualist photography, has been missing for years, inherits a derelict mansion in upstate New York. The white girl joins her great-aunt, Esther, who has been living alone there. She tells Gretchen that she will be leaving and that Gretchen must finish the work that she and her mother had started. Aunt Esther is a famous war photographer, but now she photographs what she believes to be ghosts trapped on the property. It will be Gretchen's job to discover why and free their souls. Once she agrees, Gretchen finds herself in a whirlwind of catastrophe. The ghosts originate from an atrocity committed in 1864 by the Ku Klux Klan, who deliberately burned a church full of African-American worshipers, including two little girls who have become extremely nasty and active spirits. To solve the mystery, Gretchen unites with banjo-playing black neighbor Hawk, who can also see the ghosts, and his sister, Hope. After a slow and exposition-heavy start, Olson provides chills and thrills as she concocts some truly original hauntings inside the house. Although the author depicts the Ku Klux Klan operating in the North during the Civil War, before its actual founding in the South, its anachronistic presence in the story helps to elevate the tension. A well-meaning though unsubtle ghost story. (Horror. 12-18)