Because of a falling out between Jess'
mom, Molly, and her twin sister, Tilly, Jess has never visited the
village of Port Sentinel where her mother grew up. She and Molly arrive at a difficult
time. Freya, Jess' cousin is dead. She was a fey girl who went to the
cliffs above Port Sentinel late one night. No one knows whether she
fell, accidentally getting too close to the edge of the cliff, was
unhappy enough to kill herself, or if someone pushed her.
Jess discovers, when the towns people
stare at her, that she looks almost identical to her cousin. She
feels a connection with the dead girl and wants to find out what
happened. Her search is complicated by two boys who are interested in
her, a coterie of bitchy, boy-crazy, girls, and her cousin's best
friend, Darcy. Jess finally concocts a plan to learn the truth, but
at great personal risk.
I enjoyed the plot. The town has
accepted that Freya fell to her death accidentally. Jess is a newcomer
and when things don't add up, she decides to take action. Although
Jess comes across as bright and brash, it doesn't ring true.
She's supposed to be brilliant, but the plan she concocts to learn
the truth about Freya is little short of lunatic. I can't give high
marks to her character. Will, one of the boys interested in her, is
more believable. He's dealing with a difficult home situation,
a
dying mother and a harsh father. He comes across as real.
As a mystery, the book lacks serious
investigating. Jess tries to do all the sleuthing herself, makes
horribly bad decisions, and is simply lucky in the end. If you enjoy
teen mysteries, this one is fair. It's a pleasant read in an
interesting setting, but I can't recommend it as a serious mystery or
thriller.
I reviewed this book for Net Galley.
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