A teenage girl becomes obsessed with a family of reputed witches in this British author's North American debut. The unreliable narrator, of never-mentioned race so likely white, approximate age 15, has recently moved from a city that might be London to an unnamed town on the sea with her emotionally absent mother after her father disappears. She never reveals her name, instead choosing to go by her "secret name," River, once she manages to insinuate herself with the mysterious, reclusive Graces. (The Graces are also white; many of the minor characters seem by brief description to be either black or Indian.) Like everyone else in her school, River has a crush on glamour-boy Fenrin Grace, 17. Fenrin's twin, Thalia, frightens her, but it's their younger sister, River's classmate Summer, with whom she forms the strongest bond. Over and over River molds herself into a person who could be best friends with Summer Grace. River's desperate to be part of the Graces' world, for reasons that gradually, horrifyingly, become crystal clear despite River's repeated deceptions, both within the story and in the narration. The ending will make readers want to read the entire novel again, immediately, to admire the clues they missed before. Though the facts may be slippery, the prose never is; it's precise, vivid, and immediate. Powerful. (Fantasy. 14 & up)

When River arrives at her new school, she's immediately drawn to the Graces: twins Fenrin and Thalia, two years older than her, and Summer, who's in River's class. The three siblings float around school seemingly immune to any harm and exuding an enticing, otherworldly quality, which, rumor has it, is real magic. They have a rotating coterie of followers, but when River finally catches Summer's attention, she becomes ensconced in the Graces' inner circle, attending exclusive parties, visiting their lavish house, toying with spells and charms, and getting a glimpse of the highborn family's dark secrets. But River has some secrets of her own, and when bad things start happening to people around the Graces, their close friendship gets murky, then pitch black. While River doesn't quite come alive on the page, and many readers will guess her secret before her friends do, Eve cultivates a deliciously grim sense of dread in her deliberate, painterly writing, and that will likely hook fans of dark, witchy magical realism, as well as those who love stories with unreliable narrators.

A teenage girl becomes obsessed with a family of reputed witches in this British author's North American debut. The unreliable narrator, of never-mentioned race so likely white, approximate age 15, has recently moved from a city that might be London to an unnamed town on the sea with her emotionally absent mother after her father disappears. She never reveals her name, instead choosing to go by her "secret name," River, once she manages to insinuate herself with the mysterious, reclusive Graces. (The Graces are also white; many of the minor characters seem by brief description to be either black or Indian.) Like everyone else in her school, River has a crush on glamour-boy Fenrin Grace, 17. Fenrin's twin, Thalia, frightens her, but it's their younger sister, River's classmate Summer, with whom she forms the strongest bond. Over and over River molds herself into a person who could be best friends with Summer Grace. River's desperate to be part of the Graces' world, for reasons that gradually, horrifyingly, become crystal clear despite River's repeated deceptions, both within the story and in the narration. The ending will make readers want to read the entire novel again, immediately, to admire the clues they missed before. Though the facts may be slippery, the prose never is; it's precise, vivid, and immediate. Powerful. (Fantasy. 14 & up)

In British author Eve-s U.S. debut, a teenage loner becomes fixated on the most powerful family in town, gradually insinuating herself into their inner circle in an attempt to gain popularity and acceptance. Like everyone else, 15-year-old River Page knows that the beautiful, enigmatic Graces are rumored to be witches; craving power, she works carefully to gain the friendship of Summer and her older sister, Thalia, even as she falls for their brother, Fenrin. River can-t figure out why the siblings are so insular and mercurial, even after joining them in several magical rituals. The mystery deepens after one of their close friends drowns, and River-s efforts to become part of the Graces- world backfire. Eve conjures up an intriguing vision of small-town mystique, with the Grace family depicted as unknowable and otherworldly-the mystery of whether magic is at play hangs over much of the story-and self-involved, obsessive River-s less-than-trustworthy narration adds to the air of uncertainty. But while Eve keeps the story-s speculative elements satisfyingly ambiguous, last-minute revelations and developments feel ill-established, resulting in a dissonant conclusion. Ages 13-up. (Sept.)

There is nothing River wants more than to be a Grace. Everyone does. The Graces are the family to envyeach beautiful, mysterious, and eccentric, they are rumored to be witches. New to town, River has been watching, waiting, and hoping for the moment when she will become their flavor of the week. When it finally happens, she learns that being friends with the most socially exclusive family in town has its drawbacks. Jealousy is thick in the air, and she discovers terrible secrets about their family. There is a dangerously enamored ex-boyfriend of one of the Graces, one they believe has fallen to a curse. River thinks she can break this curse. As she gains access to their home and becomes closer to their hearts, they will, in turn, learn a dark secret about River.The Graces is appealing in its plot and believable as far as social scenes of adolescence go, but readers looking for a story about witchcraft and magic will be disappointed. The rumored gifts of the family are just thatrumors, and the narration treats it as such a majority of the time. Instead, the family's "powers" appear to be more "new age" than sorcery, but that does not mean sorcery does not exist elsewhere in a corner of the story. River's social anxiety and awkwardness and her distance yet desperate need for acceptance are relatable. The story is less about magic and more about a girl's response to her past, a hidden trauma, and a vague possibility of mental illness.Jane Gov.The Graces is a realistic but dark take on magic. It draws readers into its unsettling narrative. Although the characters are written as too ethereal and mysterious, the story has its own allure. Readers are drawn into the story and must know what happens next. Plot twists, while predictable, lead the novel in unpredictable ways. While the story line is not outstandingly original, The Graces is an eerily interesting read. 3Q, 3P.Kara Eng, Teen Reviewer.