⭐️⭐️.5/5
I am a sucker for a cool cover. I feel like the last few years have been the years of the ravens/crows as they are featured all over the place. This book is also very purple so I didn’t hesitate to pick it up.
This was my first read after finishing my service on the 2019 YALSA Printz committee. I needed something light and different from our other finalists. Unfortunately, this book was a huge disappointment. I think that is in part because I have read for the last 12 months with a very critical eye and with the award criteria in mind. This story was okay, but the writing was pretty green. Obviously this is the author’s first published work, but I think the editing could have been better. I found the word “rendered” used three times within two pages. That probably isn’t a big deal for most readers, but I couldn’t really get past that.
Angie has recently started living with her father after her mother dies of a drug overdose. They had been living inside of an old VW bus and Angie was well-adjusted to the nomadic lifestyle. She didn’t really know her father previously, but his life of predictability takes a bit to get used to. Then a new family moves into the house next door where a family had previously been murdered. Why would a family want to move into a house with that history? Well, apparently a family of harbingers of death. Along with them comes a murder of crows and a strange faceless man who is always surrounded by bees.
Curiosity gets the best of Angie and she quickly develops a friendship with one of the new neighbors, Reece, who attends her high school. Reece quickly earns popularity as a strong hockey player, but there is something mysterious about him and he seems drawn to Angie. She has always been known as the girl whose mom died of a drug overdose, but Reece doesn’t seem to judge her on that. Through a few conversations and strange encounters, Angie learns that Reece isn’t like other boys. He knows that something big is coming and encourages Angie to get her and her dad out of town. When the big thing does come, Angie isn’t ready for what it means for her, her dead mom, Reece, and her community.
I would say this book is for people who liked books like Anthem of a Reluctant Prophet by Joanne Proulx (coming out in movie soon), Blood and Salt by Kim Liggett, or The Croak Series by Gina Damico.