ALA Booklist

Months after a brutally described attack, provoked by her student newspaper exposé of a Chicago drug ring, Claire is still suffering the physical and psychological aftereffects of the beating. Retreating to Peculiar, Missouri, for her father's sabbatical, Claire hopes the slower pace and strangers' lack of awareness of her injuries will give her a fresh start. However, the night they arrive, Serena, a female reporter from the school newspaper, dies in conditions that Claire finds eerily similar to her own near-death experience. Peculiar quickly lives up to its name, as Claire can feel Serena reaching out to her. Does she want Claire's help in solving the mystery of her death? Or is her spirit trying to possess Claire's body, as it seems to have taken up residence in a local feral cat? A heavily gloomy feel pervades this novel that shifts through phases of fantasy, mystery, psychological thriller, and thoughtful realistic fiction dealing with PTSD. Readers captivated by Claire's impassioned spiral out of control will be soothed by the tentatively positive resolution.

Horn Book (Sat Aug 01 00:00:00 CDT 2015)

Claire, who was the victim of a violent attack, moves with her father from Chicago to the small town of Peculiar, Missouri. Grappling with PTSD, Claire is quickly drawn into a mystery surrounding the death of a local girl. The dark story, which includes sequences from the dead girl's point of view, reaches a somewhat unsatisfying conclusion.

Publishers Weekly (Fri Oct 06 00:00:00 CDT 2023)

Opening with back-to-back scenes of exquisitely imagined yet very real horror, Schindler-s third YA novel hearkens to the uncompromising demands of her debut, A Blue So Dark, with its gut-wrenching portrait of mental illness. This time, the focus is on women-s voices and the consequences they suffer for speaking. Claire Cain was an award-winning high school journalist in Chicago when she was beaten nearly to death for a story. Serena Sims lost her life while pursuing a lead in the more confined purview of Peculiar, Mo. Their stories intersect when Claire-s father-s sabbatical lands her in Peculiar just in time to discover Serena-s body, surrounded by the eerie feral cats that infest the town. Schindler avoids cardboard character types-yes, there are jocks, princesses, and nerds, but the author reveals them as people squeezed into their labels, not defined by them. And while there are touches of romance, both good and bad, adolescent hormones don-t define the plot, either. This is a story about reclaiming and healing, a process that is scary, imperfect, and carries no guarantees. Ages 13-up. Agent: Deborah Warren, East West Literary Agency. (Aug.)

School Library Journal (Tue Jul 01 00:00:00 CDT 2014)

Gr 9 Up-From the opening pages readers will be immediately immersed in this dark story. Two brutal attacks are described in detailed flashbacks: one resulting in death, the other in extreme psychological trauma. Although each event happened at separate times and were miles apart, the victims seem to be eerily connected: both were burgeoning writers on their school newspaper staff; both lived a somewhat marginalized existence when compared to their BFFs; both were victimized in retaliation for their investigative reporting; and one wants the other one dead. Seventeen-year-old Claire Cain was rescued by Chicago police after having barely survived being attacked by a gang for snitching on them to clear her best friend's name. Even though she's been receiving treatment for the trauma, Claire continues to relive the horrible attack in her dreams. When Claire's father gets the opportunity to take a sabbatical from his job at the University of Chicago to do anthropological research in the small Missouri town of Peculiar, Claire and her dad are hopeful that the change of scene will help her heal. She soon discovers the town's feral cat population right before getting swept up in the town's frantic search for a missing girl named Serena Sims. Claire accidentally stumbles upon Serena's broken corpse in the icy woods behind the high school; it is surrounded by what seems to be the town's entire feral cat population. When she locks eyes with a battered calico, she gets an eerie feeling. With the discovery of Serena's body and the casual handling of her death by the local police, Claire's investigative juices, which have lain dormant for months, resurface driving her to dig for the backstory and the truth behind the heinous act. Readers who like a gripping psychological thriller will thoroughly enjoy this tale with echoes of classic Hitchcock. Issues of cliques, peer pressure, bullying, self-esteem, post-traumatic stress syndrome, teacher-student relationships, and pet abandonment will provide substance for discussion. Sabrina Carnesi, Crittenden Middle School, Newport News, VA

Voice of Youth Advocates

Time and distance separate Claire and Serena, but their lives are eerily identical. Serena's story comes first. As her body is dragged by her killer, readers are privy to her reactions to the moments leading up to her brutal beating death at the hands of someone who did not like Serena's investigative reporting for her school paper.áMeanwhile, in another part of the country, perfect student and award-winning high school investigative journalist Claire is attacked while walking home. She lives through her experience, and when her father decides to take a sabbatical in the town where Serena lived, Claire's story crosses with Serena's.áClaire's discovery of Serena's body, the town's feral cat population, and an old calico cat who seems to look right through her set Claire on edge.áBut Claire's natural investigative instincts cannot be quelled, so she looks into Serena's death while trying to recover from her own traumatic experience.Readers wanting a psychological thriller should try Schindler's novel. Discerning readers, however, may take issue with the inexplicable plot devices and jarring linguistic choices. For example, it might be hard to understand why Serena can watch her killer dump her body, and also experience all the pain her lifeless body is going through as it is being dragged through the woods. áOthers will enjoy the creepy atmosphere that Schindler builds. áOf particular note is the feral cat populationthat part of the story manages to be almost scary.Amanda Fensch.