Every year in the small ocean town of Sparrow, Oregon, the first day of June marks the beginning of the return of the Swan Sisters, three sisters sentenced to death and drowned for being accused as witches. This event may have occurred over two hundred years ago, but the sisters always come back from June 1st to the night of the summer solstice to seek their revenge. These sisters do not return in their own bodies but in the bodies of three teenage girls they choose in town, luring them into the ocean with their beautiful voices. Once they have a body to inhabit, they begin luring teenage boys to the ocean, where they drown them in revenge against the young lovers who accused them of practicing witchcraft. Everyone in town knows about these events and they even have a festival, simply believing its part of life in Sparrow and cannot be changed. Penny Talbot, a teenage girl living in the town's lighthouse has always believed this until the day Bo Carter came to town. Bo, a teenage boy traveling up the coast of the US, has never heard of the Swan Sisters and is shocked to hear of such a horrible haunting. Determined to catch the three sisters, Bo and Penny join together to learn how to stop the sisters from returning and break the curse forever.
Even though the story takes place in summer, this book is perfect to read for Halloween. With its three witch sisters and return of the dead, it reminded me a bit of the movie Hocus Pocus, though made for an older audience. My favorite part of this entire book is the spine-chilling atmosphere that seems to penetrate every scene and every character. The author did a great job of keeping the story interesting with its many twists and jaw-dropping moments. If you want a scary story that will keep you guessing, this is the perfect YA novel. This book is available in the Azalea Regional System.
~Abigail
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