Breathless page-turner this is not: the narrative is defined by its angst, and for readers who share it, this book will feel special. Reluctantly bonding over the discovery that they are “Chosen Ones,” gifted with strange powers, and developing a shared conviction that Elias’s death wasn’t suicide, the girls gradually begin to act. There is a point to this slice-of-life approach, but for readers drawn by the promise of magic and fate, that point may feel like a long time coming. Monika needs specialist care, and that means Pineshade - which also means Joel is going to have to deal with his one-time best friend, for Nina works there. When Joels mother Monika develops dementia, he has no choice but to return to his home town. Minoo, Vanessa, Linnéa, Anna-Karin, Rebecka, and Ida have 10th grade in common, but little else. Description Once inseparable, Joel and Nina havent spoken in twenty years. After that, it’s somewhat difficult to commit to the many other characters, mostly female classmates of Elias, whose anomie and everyday bleakness occupy the next hundred pages. Instead, a voice in his head drives him to graphically depicted suicide. The opening sequence draws readers into sympathy with a troubled boy named Elias, who’s desperate to connect with his best friend, Linnéa. First published in 2011, this first book in the Engelsfors trilogy follows a group of Swedish teenagers as they awaken to the supernatural horrors around them.
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