It has been a while since I last read an Australian teenage novel so I decided to read this first title in a proposed series of novels by Jodi McAlister.
When four teenagers are selected as the next leaders at their school, no-one envisages what is in store for them. Supernatural sightings such as the mysterious appearance of a black horse, black cats and black birds haunt the four teenagers who were all born on Valentine's Day.
Then Marie disappears causing fear among her peer group.
Pearl and Finn have known each other most of their lives, though they have not necessarily been the best of friends. However they realise that they need to join forces to attempt to discover why they are being targeted and who is trying to kill them. As the tension in the story increases, the reader is lead into the world of the Seelie s and Unseelies.
The story is told primarily through Pearl's viewpoint and much of the action is recounted via dialogue. It is interesting to read an Australian fantasy. However, with much of the story revolving around teenage angst, my interest waned through sections of the book.
There are also a number of unanswered questions concerning Pearl's parentage which I suspect will be addressed in later volumes.
