
Fiction – Young Adult, Magical Realism
Released October 1, 2019 by AW Teen
Bottom Line: Read it if you enjoy Young Adult books
Links to Purchase: Amazon, B&N, Books-a-Million, IndieBound
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Why I Picked It Up: I really liked the description. I enjoy fun reads, which Young Adult often are for me, and paranormal and magical realism seemed like an obvious choice.
The Official Summary
Olivia Foster hasn’t felt alive since her little brother drowned in the backyard pool three years ago. Then Kara Hallas moves in across the street with her mother and grandmother, and Olivia is immediately drawn to these three generations of women. Kara is particularly intoxicating, so much so that Olivia not only comes to accept Kara’s morbid habit of writing to men on death row, she helps her do it. They sign their letters as the Resurrection Girls.
But as Kara’s friendship pulls Olivia out of the dark fog she’s been living in, Olivia realizes that a different kind of darkness taints the otherwise lively Hallas women—an impulse that is strange, magical, and possibly deadly.
What I Loved
- There are some tough topics in here, so it isn’t just paranormal/magical realism fluff. The book addresses death, and death of a young sibling because of an accident is heartbreaking. Not only does it deal with death but also how the family members handle it so differently and in ways that aren’t healthy.
- I liked that this book has the magical realism piece. I did a review a while back (for The Scent Keeper) that had me convinced that I simply love magical realism and after trying to read a few others in that genre I realized that wasn’t true. This book definitely was one that fit for me and I think it’s perhaps because of the paranormal parts.
So, what didn’t I like?
- There were some unlikable characters for me in this novel, but they were just going through some tough things and they came around. I don’t know that it was meant for Kara to be unlikable but I really didn’t like her character.
- There were a couple of plot points later on that just made me mad. Perhaps I can’t say they made me not like the book because sometimes stories need these things to happen and I won’t provide any spoilers by saying what they were.
- I’m not sure how I felt about the ending. I wanted a little more detail in maybe the last quarter of the book. It felt a bit rushed.
Follow the Author

Ava Morgyn is a long-time avid reader and writer of young adult fiction. She studied English Writing & Rhetoric at St. Edward’s University in Austin, TX, and now lives in Houston—city with the most rain, best food, and worst traffic—with her family. When she isn’t at her laptop spinning darkly hypnotic tales, she can be found making fairy houses, talking to her crystals and plants, hunting for delicious new vegan recipes, or bothering her dog. She also blogs regularly about the devastating journey of child loss at ForLoveofEvelyn.com.
Author Links: Website | Goodreads | Twitter| Facebook | Instagram
Good for people who like
Young Adult Books, tough topics, specifically tough topics that deal with grief
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Thank you, Melissia, for a wonderful post! I hope you’ll share your thoughts on Goodreads and Amazon. 🙂
I will most definitely! Thank you for your lovely book 🙂