Revel

Gr 9 Up—After Delia McGovern's mother dies of cancer, the 17-year-old has to seek out a grandmother she has never met, who lives on a mysterious island off the coast of Maine. Trespass Island doesn't appear on maps, and the residents forcibly discourage outsiders. When Delia manages to make her way to the island, she discovers that it is home not just to human beings, but also to sea-living descendants of the Greek god Poseidon called Aitros, or First Ones, who rule over the humans. Prevented from leaving, Delia makes friends with other young people and with Jax, a young male First One who is an outcast from the Aitros clan. However, she finds that the protection of the First Ones comes at a price. At Revel, the summer solstice ceremony, young human women are compelled to mate with male First Ones and give up any resulting infants to them. When Delia resists, she makes a terrifying and amazing discovery about her true nature and her mother's reasons for fleeing the island. This mash-up of Greek mythology and HP Lovecraft's The Shadow Over Innsmouth is a cut above many other recent YA titles featuring mermaids, mermen, sirens, and other water creatures. The Maine setting is described in loving detail. Delia is a strong heroine who finds her voice both literally and figuratively as she opposes the First Ones' exploitation of the human residents of the island, and the enigmatic Jax makes a compelling love interest for her. Purchase where paranormal romances are popular.—Kathleen E. Gruver, Burlington County Library, Westampton, NJ