Review Detail

Sixteen-year-old Naomi Ward doesn't want to go to a secluded cabin in Sparksburg, Virginia, with her recently discovered 'real' family. Naomi had been kidnapped as a toddler and only recently had been reunited with her family. At the cabin, she smells a foul odor that no one else can smell. Then she witnesses the ghost of a young girl outside her window. Only later does she discover that Sparksburg had been a sundown town, where hundreds of Black people were murdered. Naomi's unease increases as she fears the town's violent past might be repeating itself. When no one listens to her fears, the ghost girl's presence increases. Naomi's quest to find the truth leads her down a path where she might be putting her own life at risk.

What worked: Chilling, suspenseful tale of a former sundown town with a paranormal edge. Naomi's life has been turned upside down when she learns that the mother she knew, in fact, kidnapped her as a toddler. Naomi has a hard time adjusting to her new life with her real family. When they go to a secluded cabin in Sparksburg, unexplainable things happen around Naomi. Foul smells. A young ghost girl who stays outside the cabin. No one believes Naomi.

This story has its own century-old unsolved crime story of the victims of racism that refuse to let their stories die. Add to that a modern-day mystery of missing girls and those people who don't want to move on from a painful past.

Naomi is determined, stubborn, and also on a quest to discover what really happened in the town. She does this even when her life is put in danger. The romance between her and Khalil is sweet. He's not too sure about Naomi's drive, but that doesn't stop him from not being there for her.

The pacing is good, and so is the backdrop of the Shenandoah Valley. For those who want to learn more about sundown towns, the author lists some resources in the back of the book.

Captivating tale of a young teen and the quest she has to find the truth behind not only missing girls but the secrets a town tries to bury.