In the River Darkness

Gr 9 Up—As much as Mia wants to run from her past, leaving her friends behind and moving to a tiny river town is not her idea of a solution. From the moment she steps out of her parents' car and onto their new property, she resolves to hate everything about it. Maybe if she had stuck to that resolve, she wouldn't have found herself caught between the two boys next door. Alexander, the handsome older brother, who pursues her relentlessly, is almost enough to make her forget about her last boyfriend, and Jay, the mysterious younger sibling, is able to connect with her in a way that few others have. This is not your typical teen romance. The elements of a love triangle are there, but a haunting subplot takes command of the story early on, making the relationships among the three narrators pale in comparison to the well-paced suspense. Readers will be asking themselves what's in the river long after they are done wondering who's in love with whom. Fans of both realistic fiction and paranormal romance are likely to find the story to be a fantastic blend of the two genres. The writing is beautiful, the cover is eye-catching, and the story within does not disappoint.—Jennifer Furuyama, Pendleton Public Library, OR