The Dead and the Dark
The Dead and the Dark
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St. Martin's Press
Annotation: "Imagine Riverdale crossing streams with Stephen King's The Outsider and you'll get a sense of this gripping supernatura... more
Genre: [Horror fiction]
 
Reviews: 5
Catalog Number: #327288
Format: Perma-Bound Edition
Copyright Date: 2022
Edition Date: 2022 Release Date: 09/20/22
Pages: 371 pages
ISBN: Publisher: 1-250-86109-8 Perma-Bound: 0-8000-3001-X
ISBN 13: Publisher: 978-1-250-86109-2 Perma-Bound: 978-0-8000-3001-8
Dewey: Fic
Dimensions: 22 cm.
Language: English
Reviews:
Starred Review for Kirkus Reviews (Tue Dec 01 00:00:00 CST 2020)

Logan Ortiz-Woodley's dads return with her to their rural Oregon hometown, reawakening old tensions alongside a mysterious evil.Snakebite is an insular ranching community where everything and everyone is reliably, stiflingly familiar and normal...on the surface. It was paradise to wealthy Ashley Barton before her boyfriend went missing; now trusted adults are keeping secrets and blaming paranormal investigation show star Brandon, who's in town scouting locations for the next season. The arrival of Brandon's co-star and husband, Alejo, and their adopted daughter, Logan, prompts further scrutiny and outright aggression-escalated by the revelation that Brandon and Alejo grew up in Snakebite-and leads Ashley to question her beliefs about her town and herself. Meanwhile, Logan quickly realizes that her family's ties to Snakebite run far deeper than she thought-and that they're not just there for ParaSpectors. She's never been close with Brandon, and Alejo refuses to spill, so Logan reluctantly turns to Ashley for help getting answers. But as the girls get closer to the truth, the pool of suspects increases, and their friendship is tested (as well as the growing attraction between lesbian Logan and questioning Ashley). The paranormal elements-sounds, ghosts, and possession-support and enhance Gould's broader project of interrogating the racist, homophobic ideology that has festered in Snakebite for years. Most characters are White; brown-skinned, Spanish-speaking, bisexual Alejo is presumably Latinx.A complex and sophisticated thriller with haunting real-world connections. (Paranormal thriller. 13-18)

ALA Booklist (Thu Apr 28 00:00:00 CDT 2022)

Teenagers are going missing in Snakebite, Oregon, where Logan Ortiz-Woodley recently moved with her dads, paranormal investigators known on TV as ParaSpectors. Logan's dads were ostracized from their hometown years ago, thrusting the three of them into the spotlight. Do they have anything to do with the sinister forces causing teens to disappear d even die? Ashley wants to figure out who is behind her boyfriend's disappearance, and as she watches her beloved town twist into something dark, she's not sure whom to trust. Logan and Ashley turn to each other as they both begin mistrusting the adults in their lives, and the flaws in Logan's dysfunctional family are revealed. Gould's debut is haunting and surprisingly dark for a book with that very word in its title. Characters are the focal strength of this book, which is a slow-burn story with an immersive setting that feels like a character in and of itself. The darkness spreading over Snakebite exposes the truth about small-town ideology and oppression, loneliness, secrecy, and what makes a family or a home. Logan, Ashley, and Logan's dads are satisfyingly complex, and as Logan and Ashley fight to figure out what's happening in Snakebite, they also have to face what they're feeling for each other. This atmospheric, character-driven story is a must-read, but you should keep the lights on while you do.

Kirkus Reviews (Fri Oct 04 00:00:00 CDT 2024)

Logan Ortiz-Woodley's dads return with her to their rural Oregon hometown, reawakening old tensions alongside a mysterious evil.Snakebite is an insular ranching community where everything and everyone is reliably, stiflingly familiar and normal...on the surface. It was paradise to wealthy Ashley Barton before her boyfriend went missing; now trusted adults are keeping secrets and blaming paranormal investigation show star Brandon, who's in town scouting locations for the next season. The arrival of Brandon's co-star and husband, Alejo, and their adopted daughter, Logan, prompts further scrutiny and outright aggression-escalated by the revelation that Brandon and Alejo grew up in Snakebite-and leads Ashley to question her beliefs about her town and herself. Meanwhile, Logan quickly realizes that her family's ties to Snakebite run far deeper than she thought-and that they're not just there for ParaSpectors. She's never been close with Brandon, and Alejo refuses to spill, so Logan reluctantly turns to Ashley for help getting answers. But as the girls get closer to the truth, the pool of suspects increases, and their friendship is tested (as well as the growing attraction between lesbian Logan and questioning Ashley). The paranormal elements-sounds, ghosts, and possession-support and enhance Gould's broader project of interrogating the racist, homophobic ideology that has festered in Snakebite for years. Most characters are White; brown-skinned, Spanish-speaking, bisexual Alejo is presumably Latinx.A complex and sophisticated thriller with haunting real-world connections. (Paranormal thriller. 13-18)

School Library Journal (Sun Aug 01 00:00:00 CDT 2021)

Gr 9 Up-Logan is not really interested in going to her dads' hometown of Snakebite, Oregon, for the summer, but her dads are the ghost hunting duo the ParaSpectors, and they claim there is a case to solve there. Ashley has always loved Snakebite, but things have felt different ever since her boyfriend, Tristan, went missing six months ago, and they only get worse when the mysterious Logan arrives with two of Snakebite's former, scorned residents. When Ashley begins to see ghosts, she has to rely on Logan to help her find Tristan, and the person who took him, before anyone else gets hurt. This novel explores the consequences of hate, and the way hate can shape a town. While it is a ghost story, the ghosts are not the villains in the town of Snakebite. Residents are quick to blame the queer family for everything that has gone wrong, and in this way Gould shows us how hate and fear go hand in hand. This is a unique and important take on the horror genre. Logan is a lesbian, one of her dads is bisexual, and Ashley is queer. One of Logan's dads is Latinx as are two secondary characters. All others are presumed white. VERDICT Purchase for library collections where ghost stories are in demand, and where LGBTQIA+ stories in a genre other than realistic fiction are desired. Mariah Smitala, Hedberg P.L., Janesville, WI

Reviewing Agencies: - Find Other Reviewed Titles
Starred Review for Kirkus Reviews (Tue Dec 01 00:00:00 CST 2020)
ALA Booklist (Thu Apr 28 00:00:00 CDT 2022)
Kirkus Reviews (Fri Oct 04 00:00:00 CDT 2024)
Publishers Weekly (Tue Dec 03 00:00:00 CST 2024)
School Library Journal (Sun Aug 01 00:00:00 CDT 2021)
Word Count: 90,456
Reading Level: 4.5
Interest Level: 7-12
Accelerated Reader: reading level: 4.5 / points: 13.0 / quiz: 515831 / grade: Upper Grades

"Imagine Riverdale crossing streams with Stephen King's The Outsider and you'll get a sense of this gripping supernatural mystery...Gould's debut begins as a snappy paranormal yarn and unspools into a profound story about the complex interplay between grief, guilt, and identity." - Oprah Daily Courtney Gould's thrilling YA debut The Dead and the Dark is about the things that lurk in dark corners, the parts of you that can't remain hidden, and about finding home in places--and people--you didn't expect. The Dark has been waiting--and it won't stay hidden any longer. Something is wrong in Snakebite, Oregon. Teenagers are disappearing, some turning up dead, the weather isn't normal, and all fingers point to TV's most popular ghost hunters who have just come to town. Logan Ortiz-Woodley, daughter of TV's ParaSpectors , has never been to Snakebite before. But the moment she and her dads arrive, she starts to get the feeling that there's more than ghosts plaguing this small town. Ashley Barton's boyfriend was the first teen to go missing, and she's felt his ghost following her ever since. Although everyone shuns the Ortiz-Woodleys, the mysterious Logan may be the only person who can help Ashley get some answers. When Ashley and Logan team up to figure out who--or what--is haunting Snakebite, their investigation reveals truths about the town, their families, and themselves that neither of them are ready for. As the danger intensifies, they realize that their growing feelings for each other could be a light in the darkness.


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