March 28, 2016
A young man with the ability to steal memories and other aspects of a person’s identity learns the cost of his power in this unnerving tale of supernatural suspense. Aspen Quick’s family has secretly protected their small upstate New York town for generations, using their gifts to conduct a periodic ritual to keep the cliff that looms over Three Peaks from collapsing. Aspen also uses his powers for his own benefit—stealing sobriety in order to drink without consequence or stealing his best friends’ love for each other so he can act on a long-hidden crush. As the summer wears on, he runs into a girl immune to his powers and eventually discovers the source of his family’s oddness, as well as dark secrets that threaten to upset their carefully maintained status quo. Ribar (The Art of Wishing) sets up an intriguing premise and explores Aspen’s abilities in provocative ways. The coercive, nonconsensual nature of Aspen’s family’s powers makes for deeply unsettling reading, and Aspen’s recognition of this comes slow and late in the process, and isn’t entirely convincing. Ages 12–up. Agent: Brenda Bowen, Sanford J. Greenburger Associates.
Starred review from April 15, 2016
A teenage boy learns that the power to steal people's innermost feelings is both a blessing and curse. For generations, 17-year-old Aspen Quick's family has conducted a secret ritual to keep the cliff hanging over their small town from falling: they use a special power to "reach" inside people, steal their memories, desires, fears, talents, and physical attributes, and feed them to the cliff. Smart, cocky, and confident, Aspen doesn't think twice about also using this power to influence strangers and friends for his personal gain. But no amount of magic can bring Aspen's Chinese-American mom back after his parents split up. And when Aspen's friends Brandy and Theo join him at his grandmother's house for the summer, the biracial teen learns that "reaching" isn't the only secret his family has been keeping. Ultimately, Aspen must decide how far he's willing to go to get what he wants. The novel's complex characters and family drama pull readers in from the first page. Ribar balances weighty moral dilemmas with the unusual adventures of a teen who has the power to manipulate those around him. Flashback chapters chronicling Aspen's younger years are interspersed throughout the story, to good effect. Fast-paced and unpredictable, the plot seamlessly balances a summer romance with well-crafted paranormal suspense. A fresh and substantive story about family, love, and deciding who you want to be in the world. (Paranormal suspense. 12-18)
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May 1, 2016
Gr 8 Up-For generations, Aspen Quick's family has lived in the small town of Three Peaks and has performed a magical ritual that keeps the large, rocky cliff towering above the town from collapsing. Aspen is spending the summer with his aunt and grandmother, completing a magical triad. Two friends from the city are vacationing with Aspen, but he is able to keep them ignorant of his family's powers. The teen loves his magic. He is able to take things from people without their knowing. Aspen steals emotions like fear or bravery, conditions such as sobriety or calmness, and even physical attributes such as freckles or a strong lower back. He also sees nothing wrong with using his magic to make his dream girl fall for him, or to ease the way socially at parties. But the Quicks' magic is not as secret as they think, and when you steal things from people, there are consequences. Aspen is self-assured to the point of cockiness. Readers who at first might admire his abilities will quickly become appalled by how frequently and thoughtlessly the teen steals. Aspen's friends are a believable teen couple, the local girl who knows too much is fascinating and emotionally volatile, and Aspen's family members are intriguingly creepy. There are several twists, and the Quick family's ruthlessness makes for breathtaking storytelling.
Copyright 2016 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
July 1, 2016
Aspen Quick participates in the long-standing family ritual of preventing a magical, sentient Cliff from falling and destroying a town. Aspen is cocky about his magical abilities, using them casually and cruelly (e.g., trying to steal his best friend's girl). The story's fantasy elements are well structured; the "dude"-heavy dialogue is entertaining; and the characters (some of whom learn their lessons) are can't-look-away wicked.
(Copyright 2016 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)
May 1, 2016
Aspen Quick and two of his friends have come to small-town upstate New York to stay with Aspen's aunt, Holly, and the Quick family matriarch, Willow. Ostensibly, it's for a quiet summer getaway, but in fact Aspen has come to paricipate in the long-standing Quick family ritual to help protect the magical, sentient Cliff lest it fall and destroy everyone and everything in town: three people from the Quick family's magic-practicing bloodline must be present in order to enact the rituals that keep the Cliff standing. Aspen is proud of -- even cocky about -- his magical abilities. Unlike the rest of his family, he's able to apply his magic precisely, using personal possessions to steal pieces of an individual's personality, health, or physical aspect. He uses this ability casually and cruelly -- stealing away a bouncer's ability to read IDs just so he can get into a bar, for example; even stealing the love his crush has for his best friend so Aspen can make his own move. Add a dead cousin, a runaway mom, and a girl from whom he can't steal, and you get a novel that balances fantasy with realism; overarching themes of morality and "rightness" with one teen's selfish navel-gazing. The fantasy elements are well structured, with magic that follows specific rules; the "dude"-heavy dialogue is quick and entertaining; and the characters (some of whom learn their lessons) are can't-look-away wicked in an all-too-human way. sian gaetano
(Copyright 2016 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)