Between the Spark and the Burn

Plot

Last summer the Redding brothers - crooked-smiling liar River, laughing, hot-tempered Neely; and mad, knife-wielding Brodie - descended upon Violet White's dreamy seaside town, bringing chaos.

Then Brodie and River disappeared.

Now a rattling unease fills Vi.

So when she catches a late-night radio show whispering of eerie events in a distant mountain village, she seizes on it - this could be River or Brodie. Vi and Neely's search takes them to frenzied mountain towns, cursed islands, and an empty, snow-muffled hotel. They find a girl who's seen the devil, a sea captain's daughter, and a sweet, red-haired forest boy who meets death halfway. All the while, Vi's feelings for Neely grow sharper, the stakes higher, and the truth harder to pin down. If only Violet knew that while she's been hunting the Redding boys... someone's been hunting her.

Characters

Reception

The critical reception for the book has been positive. The School Library Journal reviewer wrote "The lush and polished prose, eerie locales, and pervading sense of dark unease are as engrossing as they were in the first installment." Kirkus Reviews said of the book, "Violet is both intuitive and naïve, capable of profound revelation . . . The faded opulence of the setting is an ideal backdrop for this lushly atmospheric gothic thriller, which, happily, comes with a satisfying conclusion. Darkly romantic and evocative."