ALA Booklist (Mon Jun 05 00:00:00 CDT 2023)

Sixteen-year-old Derry and her eight siblings diverse group that includes white, Black, Mexican, nonbinary, deaf, overweight, and queer individuals re abandoned to live in a remote lake house at the edge of the forest because of their magical abilities. Derry, whose magic is tied to the earth and growing plants, narrates as she and her family endeavor to stay on the good side of Frank, a strict, middle-aged white man who provides them with food and shelter while recording their magical powers' growth. When her siblings begin to disappear, Derry decides to search for them in defiance of their curfew. But the forest is more powerful than Derry believed, and it holds secrets she cannot reveal. Hollowell's debut is an absorbing tale of magic and horror, bravery and family. Derry is well drawn, each sibling portrayed as a unique character, and signed dialogue for the deaf character is smoothly described by the text. Though the abundance of violence and gaslighting influence the pacing negatively, readers looking for a novel in which revenge is sweet will want to read this.

Kirkus Reviews (Mon Jun 05 00:00:00 CDT 2023)

This girl will do whatever she can to protect her family.Derry, 16, is one of nine young people living in an isolated lake house in Indiana. Each has unique abilities that qualify them as alchemists; Derry can grow and manipulate plants, even imagined ones. Their guardian, a middle-aged nonmagical White man called Frank, monitors their powers' progress and sets strict rules to protect them, including not going outside without permission, especially not into the nearby forest. But danger has come to this found family. One by one, older sisters disappear without a trace, while the remaining sisters and their nonbinary sibling question their safety within the house. Following disembodied voices, Derry ventures into the forest alone at night to try to discover what happened to her sisters and maybe learn more about her powers, her home, and herself. Hollowell builds a magical atmosphere with ominous, spooky overtones. There is a good variety of identity representations among the family members, and the bonds among these adopted siblings are adamantine. The siblings have diverse body types and all function with anxiety and depression. One sister is Deaf, so some dialogue is signed. Bespectacled Derry is White and fat, while her siblings are White, Black, and Mexican American as well as queer. However, several references to the wendigo outside an Indigenous context are unfortunate. Heavy themes of mental and emotional abuse and some graphic violence make this an intense read.An otherworldly showing of inner strength. (Fantasy. 14-18)

School Library Journal (Mon Jun 05 00:00:00 CDT 2023)

Gr 7 Up-Derry lives in a secluded house in the woods with her siblings and their protector, Frank. White, fat, 16-year-old Derry and her siblings fear Frank even as he reminds them that he took them in when no onenot even their parentswanted them because of their magic. Derry and her siblingseldest Jane (who is Black); Winnie (who is fat and white); Brooke (fat, Deaf, Mexican American); white twins Elle and Irene (Irene is trans); nonbinary, Mexican American Violet; and the youngest, identical Black twins Olivia and Londonhave fierce bonds among them. When two of them disappear, their protector blames the dense forest surrounding their home. As Derry learns more about him and her own magical affinity for growing real and imagined plants, Derry will have to decide how far she is willing to go to keep her loved ones safe. Despite each sibling having distinct magical abilities, this element of the story is largely set dressing for a blend of horror and suspense. The first-person narration amplifies the siblings' isolation with a palpable fear of Frank and his punishments. Hollowell goes above and beyond to create an inclusive cast with some elements integrated into the narrative better than others (everyone's use of ASLdesignated by single quotes around signed dialogueto communicate with Brooke). Derry's quest to find her missing siblings and save all of them from Frank drives the story but leaves little room for character development of the other siblings who are often absent from the action and remain little more than names and attributes. Derry's moral ambiguity is unresolved by the end of the story along with questions about worldbuilding and what will come next for all of the siblings. VERDICT A dark, inclusive blend of horror and extremely light fantasy. Recommended for collections where horror is popular. Emma Carbone, Brooklyn P.L.