Vengeance

January 1, 2014
Mystery and horror genres collide when superstition and fear overcome a group of teen friends who begin blaming their recent misfortunes on a curse in this follow-up to Fracture (2012). In friend Decker's narration, Delaney continues struggling to understand her secret ability to sense when people are nearing death, a talent she believes is a curse, as in the previous book, it failed to help her actually prevent her friend Carson's death. Meanwhile, Delaney's friends inexplicably find themselves the targets of several acts of vandalism, which they eventually believe stem from a curse they must have unleashed when they saved Delaney from drowning. Though believing in a curse may sound far-fetched, in many ways, it allows these teens to escape reminders of their own mortality and to avoid the unpleasant idea that someone wishes to harm them. As the teens reinforce one another's beliefs in the curse, the narration becomes increasingly paranoid, largely ignoring the ample evidence indicating that natural, rather than paranormal, explanations exist for the vandalism. In this way, Miranda cleverly leads readers down the same path of misdirection, encouraging them to anticipate a supernatural reveal, making the final uncloaking of the human villains more surprising. However, Delaney's "death sense" remains largely unresolved, perhaps leaving room for another installment. The realistic mystery wrapped in an eerie supernatural atmosphere will appeal to fans of both genres. (Suspense. 12-18)

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March 1, 2014

Gr 9 Up-In Fracture (Walker, 2012), Delaney Maxwell fell through the ice into Falcon Lake, was trapped underwater for 11 minutes, spent a week in a coma, then woke up with no apparent lasting damage-except for a newfound ability to sense when other people were sick or dying. Vengeance is told from the point of view of Decker, Delaney's best friend (and boyfriend), who pulled her out of the ice and is still haunted by her narrow escape from death. When Decker's father unexpectedly dies, he can't help but feel resentment toward Delaney, who knew what was coming but kept it to herself. Decker and Delaney's high school friends start to feel that a curse is following them around, with unexpected deaths and near-death experiences, flooding, vandalism, and more-and that Delaney (and her unexpected survival) is somehow at the center of it all. This book combines the mystery of Falcon Lake's strange happenings with realistic romance, as much of the book centers on the ups and downs of Decker and Delaney's relationship that will feel very true to life for many teens. While not as heavy on the supernatural elements as the first book, this is a satisfying follow-up, delving more deeply into the characters and the so-called "curse" of Falcon Lake.-Jenny Berggren, formerly at New York Public Library

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