Candy loves her small town of Sticks, Louisiana, but that doesn't mean she wants to be there forever. Between the ghosts that keep appearing all over town and the reality-TV crew who wants to "research" the paranormal activity, she's worried that the stink of "Southern swamp town" will follow her when she finally makes her escape. That is assuming, of course, that she isn't trapped by a family curse more mysterious than she realized. Parker's follow-up to Beware the Wild (2014) features a strong main character. Candy's stubbornness means she makes several bad mistakes, but it also means that she is willing to own up to them and make things right. Her loyalty, frustrations, determination, and sense of humor all paint a picture of a realistic teen, even with the fantastic events surrounding her. Readers will not have to have read the first book, but they'll likely want to so that they have the fullest picture of the unusual nature of Sticks and its denizens.

In this companion to Beware the Wild, Candy can't wait to escape her small Louisiana community, noteworthy only for the magical "Shine" and the ghostly apparitions apparent to everyone except her. When the King family arrives to film the local phenomenon, Candy discovers abilities that both endanger and empower her. Realistically complicated friendships and romantic tensions give this supernatural thriller heft.