About This Book:
Master of middle-grade horror Christopher Krovatin returns with the scorching tale of a rift between siblings with awesome, sinister powers.
In this family, pyrokinesis was just the beginning. Now other powers are emerging, including telekinesis — and it will put the siblings at odds like never before.
*Review Contributed by Karen Yingling, Staff Reviewer*
Simon and his family have moved to Albuquerque, New Mexico in an attempt to get away from his sister Rachael, who burned down the family home. Simon has nightmares about it, and his other sister, Aly, spends hours trying to figure out where her sister is. Simon has the ability to sense auras around people, and also to push them to do things by getting into their minds. Aly’s powers are a bit vaguer, but even the father is able to move objects with his mind. When Simon goes to school, he’s trying very hard just to keep his head down, but when bullies give a fellow student, Lena, a hard time, he steps in and intervenes. Lena also has powers, and when Simon is sleeping, she comes into his dreams and the two comisserate about their powers. After an incident at a street fair where Simon caused some bad things to happen, Lena convinces him that he can use his powers for good and not for evil. The two spend a lot of time in her dreams, and even manage to do good deeds, like convincing the mother of bullying twins to treat them better so that they don’t give others trouble. Simon also gives one of the bullies his lunch. With a new friend and more control of his powers, things are looking up for Simon… until Rachel shows up in his dreams. Lena realizes that the building where she appears is in Albuquerque, and the two hunt her down. After being in the hospital after setting the house on fire, Rachael is very angry. She has aligned herself with Colin, a cyberpath who can hack into computers and make things go his way, and Joyce, who has the terrifying power to drain people’s energy. Rachael invites Simon to come and “have fun” with her group, and they order room service and stay in a hotel room, but Colin’s system didn’t quite work, and security comes after them. Simon doesn’t feel that he can just let Rachael go, and he and Lena decide to call the police on her. This leads to a terrifying confrontation. Can Simon and Lena find a way to communicate with Rachael before she causes more destruction?
Good Points
Krovatin has come a long way from his 2012 Gravediggers series, and clearly has done his research in writing a short, punchy horror book that keeps tweens turning the pages. What eleven year old ISN’T worried that older sister might suddenly decide to set fire to the house? I loved the sibling dynamics in this, with Aly retreating, and Rachael being the oldest who turns into a “wild child”. I also enjoyed Lena, who is willing to be friends with Simon, but refuses to talk about their powers at school. Smart girl. I also love her outfits in the dreams. Why not? This is a little more complicated than, say, K.R. Alexander’s scary titles, and I love the innovation. Readers who liked this author’s Darkness will be glad to see this new title.
It would be nice to see a book where children have powers and ENJOY them a little more. It’s such a fun idea to have paranormal abilities, but there always seem to have horrible complications!
Krovatin’s Red Rover is a classic horror tale with a demon dog, and Ablaze also focuses on some unusual abilities. This title is a little more complicated and philosophical than the other two books, but has a fantastic cover that will appeal to readers who want a tale that will keep them AWAKE at night.
*Find More Info & Buy This Book HERE!*
