(2) 4-6 Orphan housemaid Zita Brydgeborn quits her position and travels to Blackbird Castle after receiving a letter informing her she's the long-lost heir. But on arrival she discovers that she's also expected to assume the duties of the great witching Brydgeborn family, and her teacher, mean Mrs. Cantanker, doesn't even believe Zita is a witch. Young servants Bram and Minnifer offer a slightly warmer welcome, but they seem to be under a curse that prevents them from talking about certain things. As Zita puzzles through the twin mysteries of what happened to her family and how she was separated from them in the first place (and what if everything she's been told is a lie?), she faces dangers from beyond the grave. Bachmann incorporates magic and atmosphere in this appealing tale of persistence, from the shifting staircases and passageways of gothic Blackbird Castle to the irresistible feasts Zita devours with Bram and Minnifer. The author also engineers a particularly deft reversal mid-plot that will leave readers at first bewildered and then delighted.

Reviewer: Anita L. Burkam | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2021

(4) YA Five mismatched teens are chosen for a mysterious summer program exploring an underground French palace; upon arrival, they are trapped and hunted. Their story alternates with that of wealthy sisters who disappeared there centuries ago. Character development is forced, but the high-concept cat-and-mouse games are inventive and gripping, and the twisted quest for immortality as plot engine will please classic-horror fans.

Reviewer: Claire E. Gross

(2) 4-6 Also by Emma Trevayne. Illustrated by Alexander Jansson. Four "curators"--Bachmann, Catmull, Legrand, and Trevayne--fill their Cabinet of Curiosities museum with objects of wonder as well as the (often unearthly) tales behind them. The stories are remarkable both for their uniformly high quality and for their distinctness from one another; the abundant atmospherics, including occasional stark black-and-white illustrations, provide a unifying sense of dread.

Reviewer: Anita L. Burkam | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2014

(3) 4-6 In this sequel to The Peculiar, Bartholomew meets Pikey, an orphan whose magical eye sees Bartholomew's sister, Hettie, who's stranded in the fairies' Old Country. But Pikey's visions are also valuable to others less well-intentioned than Hettie's brother. This dark fantasy can stand alone; newcomer Pikey is fully realized, as are the dual settings of Dickensian England and the creepy Old Country.

Reviewer: Shoshana Flax

(4) 4-6 In an alternate-reality England, a temporary door to the faery world has led to war, and the industrial revolution has hampered the stranded and oppressed faeries' magic. Bachmann skillfully sets tone and scene and has a great sense of rhythm and pace, but the plot is pretty plainly developed. Still, powerhouse fantasy readers will find sustenance here; the cliffhanger shocker suggests a sequel.

Reviewer: Nina Lindsay | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2012