About the Book
-
Author:
- Andrea Hannah
- Genres:
- Mystery
- Paranormal
- Voices:
- Cis Girl
- White (Non-Specified)
Cover Story: Sisterly Flub
BFF Charm: Caution
Talky Talk: Where Is My Mind?
Bonus Factor: Unreliable Narrator
Relationship Status: Visiting Privileges
Cover Story: Sisterly Flub
These (brunette, not blonde) girls are in a snowy forest, not a cornfield. Why they are holding each other (and a rose) is beyond me. It’s bleak, which works with the story, but it’s also way off the mark. Oh well—definitely not the worst cover I’ve ever seen, if you overlook a couple of key ways this has nothing to do with the story.
The Deal
Claire Graham’s little sister has gone missing, two years after she was brutally attacked by wolves. Claire, trying to recover from the trauma in New York, has to travel home and put the pieces back together to find her sister. Aided by her former crush, Grant, Claire starts remembering the night of her sister’s attack—and whatever did this to her sister.
This thriller/mystery will keep the reader guessing. Was Ella’s attacker paranormal, or is Claire imagining the wolves that lurk all around her?
Go into this book with as few spoilers as possible—the mystery is far more enjoyable when you’re not sure what could have caused Ella’s attack.
BFF Charm: Caution
Claire has the best of intentions, but after your little sister’s face gets ripped off by a vicious attacker, you’re not going to be a good friend to anyone—at least not until you deal with the trauma and your survivor guilt.
Swoonworthy Scale: 5
Grant is basically the sweetest, nicest person on Earth, and his devotion to Claire makes for some swoony moments. However, the story rightfully focuses on Claire’s search for Ella, rather than the romance.
Talky Talk: Where Is My Mind?
Claire is slowly being driven crazy, from spotting wolves wherever she goes to the way the townspeople treat her. Her desperation resonates throughout the book, from the way she wants to prove that she didn’t imagine Ella’s attacker, to the search for her missing sister.
Bonus Factor: Unreliable Narrator
One of my favorite literary devices, the unreliable narrator in this story successfully kept me guessing until the very end. The author threw out several plausible theories and explored them to the point where any of them could have been true (until you learn which it really was).
Relationship Status: Visiting Privileges
Book, whether you are in the hospital for being attacked by wolves or hallucinating them, I’ll come visit you. You were the perfect October book—spooky, bleak and haunting. Oh wait, visiting hours are over? Gotta go, before anything with teeth jumps out at me.
FTC Full Disclosure: I received my free review copy from publisher. This review was originally posted on Kirkus Reviews in exchange for monetary compensation, which did not affect or influence my opinions. Of Scars and Stardust is available now.
