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Stolarz, Laurie Faria
10 Reviews
(4)
YA
Amateur photographer Day discovers a fellow teen living in her family's barn: he's an escapee from juvenile detention, where he was held in suspicion of his parents' murder. Hoping to help exonerate him, Day convinces Julian to share his story. The romance between Day and Julian feels weak and unnecessary, but the slow unraveling of his family's abusive history will keep readers flipping pages.
Reviewer: Jessica Tackett MacDonald
(3)
YA
Ivy (Welcome to the Dark House) is convinced that the Nightmare Elf didn't actually kill her friends and is instead holding them captive as bait to lure her back for another game. Ivy's realistically portrayed psychic trauma adds to the tension of her cat-and-mouse interactions with the Nightmare Elf. Fans of horror thrillers will find plenty to enjoy in this sequel.
Reviewer: Lauren Chambers
(3)
YA
After submitting their darkest personal nightmares to a writing contest, Ivy and six other fans win a chance to meet famous horror movie director Justin Blake. Ivy hopes that dredging up haunting memories will help her process a significant trauma. But the contest quickly turns deadly. Truly terrifying plot twists unfold at breakneck pace, shifting quickly from character to character. Impressively fearsome.
Reviewer: Shara Hardeson
(4)
YA
After learning a shocking family secret, Camelia is attending a summer arts program at a Rhode Island college. Not coincidentally, a teenage girl has disappeared nearby; Camelia can sense the girl's crying and feels compelled to help. There are few surprises--series fans know that Camelia's psychometric powers will save the day--though, as usual, the mystery is set up and resolved impeccably.
Reviewer: Rachel L. Smith
(4)
YA
In this penultimate Touch series entry, Camelia again senses that someone is in danger through psychometry (confirmed through anonymous letters to and from a stalker). Now she's hearing voices, and Camelia fears that her gift might overwhelm her. With the same setup as its predecessors, Voices lacks suspense but still delivers a tense climax and a mystery resolution that's just right.
Reviewer: Rachel L. Smith
(3)
YA
Camelia's third story (Deadly Little Secret; Deadly Little Lies) may be the creepiest yet. This time the stalking target is her ex-boyfriend Adam, who's receiving threatening crossword puzzles. She's compelled to help, but doing so threatens her relationship with Ben. Camelia's psychic premonitions, along with anonymous therapy transcripts and the included puzzles, keep the suspense high.
Reviewer: Rachel L. Smith
(3)
YA
After saving Camelia from a stalker, psychic Ben disappeared. Now he's back but, to Camelia's disappointment, keeps his distance. Meanwhile, she's having her own ESP tendencies and is being stalked again. A love triangle featuring a smoldering hero à la Edward Cullen and a just-creepy-enough mystery make this follow-up to Deadly Little Secret as successful as the first book.
Reviewer: Rachel L. Smith
(3)
YA
Sixteen-year-old Camelia is being stalked. Most people think it's the new kid at school, Ben, who is rumored to have killed his previous girlfriend. But Camelia is falling for Ben, and she's willing to trust in his psychic powers. The presence of Camelia's wisecracking best friends adds welcome levity to the lightly suspenseful story.
Reviewer: Lisa Catherine Findlay
(3)
YA
Six teens spend the night at a closed (and soon to be demolished) mental institution, where they are forced to deal with the frightening remnants of the patients who were mistreated there. Though light on character development, this Breakfast Club–meets–Blair Witch Project page-turner will appeal to genre fans with its intense treatment of classic horror tropes.
(3)
YA
Each of these ten short stories focuses on one troubled young adult searching for solace. A complicated, compelling, and sometimes disturbing network of relationships connects the characters, whose increasing depth allows for each one to reach a moment of truth (usually involving blood) during the single day featured.
Reviewer: Megan Lynn Isaac
10 reviews
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