Publishers Weekly
★ 11/21/2022
A family reclaims its magical legacy in this standout, genre-bending dark fantasy from Salerni (Eleanor, Alice, and the Roosevelt Ghosts). Twelve-year-old Garnet Carrefour’s mother raised her far from the family estate, the source of their ley-line-based nature powers, but with great-grand-father Jasper dying, the family’s magic compels the two back for an impending transfer of magic. Initially excited to meet her extended family, Garnet soon learns why her mother never visited Crossroad House: Jasper prowls the dilapidated home, leeching life force from his most vulnerable descendants, and an augury predicts that Garnet will repeat the fate of a girl who vanished during Jasper’s last seemingly fatal illness. As “time-traveling visions” unpredictably jolt her into the missing girl’s past, Garnet probes her family history, hoping to dodge the curse by solving a decades-old mystery. Salerni enlivens classic horror tropes and gothic ambience, complete with a sentient manor house, blending wry humor with atmospheric descriptions to create Garnet’s compulsively readable first-person voice. The meticulously built, grounded magic system provides a fantastical buffer around realistic depictions of abuse, while supportive family relationships transcend a cycle of generational trauma. Main characters read as white. Ages 8–12. Agent: Sara Crowe, Pippin Properties. (Jan.)
From the Publisher
★ "[A] standout, genre-bending dark fantasy. . . . Salerni enlivens classic horror tropes and gothic ambience, complete with a sentient manor house, blending wry humor with atmospheric descriptions. . . ."—Publishers Weekly, Starred Review
★ "Salerni’s gothic charmer is deliciously creepy and atmospheric, building an immersive fantasy world that gently explores intergenerational trauma. . . . An enchanting and evocative tale."—Kirkus Reviews, Starred Review
★ "An inventive take on the supernatural that skillfully blends drama, humor, magic and mystery. Salerni's large cast of characters is delightful and each family member is enough of a rounded individual that readers should easily keep track of them all. The puzzle, spook factor and complex family dynamics make this a perfect book for upper middle-grade readers and fans of The Addams Family."—Shelf Awareness, Starred Review
"Interconnected mysteries keep readers turning pages, and when they all converge, the payoff is spine-chilling and satisfying."—The Horn Book
"Fans of The Haunting of Hill House or Schwab’s Gallant will surely stay up late at night reading this heart-pounding novel."—The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books
"A fun page-turner that touches on the deeper themes of family, identity, and what it means to pay for the sins of the past."—Booklist
"Creepy and kooky, mysterious and spooky, this is the family story you just aren’t going to want to avoid. Hand it to the kid who can’t make up their mind on what to read next."—A Fuse #8 Production
"Spooky, dark, and enthralling. I couldn't put it down until every mystery had been solved." —Cassie Beasley, New York Times bestselling author of Circus Mirandus
Kirkus Reviews
★ 2022-10-27
A magical lineage threatens to crumble under the weight of its own secrets.
The Carrefour family is imbued with magic. Each branch of the family tree has powers relating to nature and names to match their abilities: 12-year-old Garnet (like her mother, Emerald) can hear the magic in stones. Garnet connives to meet her large, estranged, extended family, which has both intrigued and fascinated her for much of her life; Emerald has told Garnet about the Carrefours but has never let her meet them. Jasper, Garnet’s nonagenarian great-grandfather, seems in poor health but mysteriously never stays that way, leaning on a cane one moment and striding steadily the next. Given his advanced age, Jasper must choose his successor, the person who will ultimately shape the future of the family’s crumbling ancestral manse, Crossroad House, the quasi-sentient source of their vast power. However, buried secrets and years of unexplained disappearances haunt the Carrefours, and before long Garnet must face—and ultimately try to address—the consequences of past generations’ wrongdoings. Salerni’s gothic charmer is deliciously creepy and atmospheric, building an immersive fantasy world that gently explores intergenerational trauma. A surprise ending hints that there may be more to discover in the Carrefour world. Main characters mostly read White.
An enchanting and evocative tale. (floor plans) (Paranormal mystery. 8-12)
