Six of Sorrow

May 1, 2024
Six former best friends whose birthdays fall on the Day of Sorrow must defeat the supernatural evil that's hunting them. Iz doesn't really know why she and her five friends stopped being a tightknit group; they were "fated to be friends," or so it seemed. But at least Reuel, her very closest friend, has never left her. The girls' birthdays fall on May 3, the day the whole town honors Sorrow, the legendary witch said to have founded their small island community in Louisiana. While celebrating their 16th birthdays beneath Sorrow's statue in the old cemetery, Iz and Reuel make a blood oath to remain best friends forever. Little do they know, but their blood unleashes something evil and inhuman that isn't going to stop until it gets what it wants from all six of the girls--something it was promised when their mothers were their age. Reuel is the first to be taken--and she returns deathly ill. Next is queen bee Georgina. With no idea who'll be next, the girls must put aside their differences and solve this supernatural mystery before it kills them. This formulaic horror novel does have some fun moments despite the often-stereotypical, one-dimensional characters, but predictable mystery beats and overused horror tropes unfortunately weigh down the paper-thin plot and unsatisfying ending. Iz and Reuel are cued white; there's some diversity in race, ethnicity, and sexuality among the cast. Creepy enough to induce shivers, but genre-savvy readers may be disappointed. (Paranormal. 14-18)

COPYRIGHT(2024) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

May 1, 2024
Grades 9-12 Sixteen years ago in Sorrow, Louisiana, six girls were born on the same day: Izzy, Reuel, Cori, Solaina, August, and Georgina. In the town, which is named for a witch, stranger things have happened. Fate seemed to dictate they'd be best friends for life, but by high school, the girls have splintered into cliques, torn apart by family secrets and hazy memories. Izzy and Reuel, born at exactly the same time, remain inseparable. They celebrate sweet 16 on their own, honoring the town's namesake with a champagne toast, cemetery picnic, and blood oath. Nothing seems out of the ordinary until Reuel doesn't show up for school the next day. It's the first in a string of unexplained disappearances, illnesses, and haunting visions--clearly something sinister is after the six of Sorrow. Will they be able to put aside the past and fight together to ensure they live long enough to see the future? Christopher Pike and Riverdale vibes will entice readers looking for subtle supernatural romance and small-town drama, all topped with a face-off against a menacing secret from the past.

COPYRIGHT(2024) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

June 1, 2024

Gr 9 Up-Sorrow, a small island off the coast of Louisiana, was named after a witch. Even though most residents no longer believe the town's paranormal history, they light bonfires on the beach and burn wishes yearly in hopes that Sorrow will hear. Newly 16-year-olds Isabeau and Reuel burn their own wishes at a birthday picnic in the cemetery, celebrating their bond, even if they are only a third of the original six girls who share one birthday. But when Reuel goes missing the next day and another in the original group disappears soon after, the sisterhood must reunite to stop an entity from claiming them one by one. The island of Sorrow's eerie atmosphere pervades this fast-paced story, heightening the combination of teenage angst and supernatural threat throughout. With six teenage girls, their families, a few significant others, and friends, the cast of characters is large, but the focus successfully remains on the core friend group, via Isabeau's perspective, as they seek a way to counter their curse. Woven throughout the work is an examination of varying types of love-self-love, friendship, familial, romantic, and obsessive-that add a second layer to the plot. VERDICT A solid choice for teens looking for their next witchy girl group read.-Maggie Mason Smith

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