Alexis, a budding photographer and anti-popular-kids activist, lives in the oldest house in town. Like all old houses, this one has a long and strange history, and some very odd things begin to happen after a photo shoot in the backyard. Her younger sister, thirteen year old Kasey, starts behaving very strangely: her eyes flash from blue to green, she has violent outbursts, becomes utterly obsessed with dolls and has no recollection of any of her weird behavior. Strange things also happen in the house: the air conditioner stays on, even with the breaker turned off, and strange lights hover near the bedroom windows. Alexis is worried about what’s happening: is she going crazy, or is there something evil causing all of these strange things? Most of all, can she stop her sister before she hurts herself…or anyone else?
This is very much a can’t-put-it-down-‘til-I’ve-read-it-all kind of book. Although some of Alender’s description reads like a textbook tutorial, especially when elaborating on subjects like photography and microfiche, she creates an engaging atmosphere and draws the reader in, evoking the same emotions in the reader as the characters are feeling. The family and peer relationships are very real, although Kasey often comes across as much younger than she is, and is often treated by the characters as if she were half their age. There are excellent twists in the plot and the book was very satisfying on the whole. Recommended for public library YA horror collections.
Contains: violence.
Review by Stacey L. Wilson, Master of Library and Information Science candidate at The University of Western Ontario