Series: Beware
the Wild (bk. 2)
Genera(s):
Paranormal Romance/Southern Gothic
Subjects:
swamps, folklore, supernatural, mystery, ghosts, spirits, ghost hunters
Setting:
Sticks, Louisiana (A town near a swamp/Bayou)
POV/Tense: 1st
person POV, present tense: Candy (Candace) Craven Pickens
Age/Grade
Level: Teen
Length: 356
pgs.
HC/PB:
Hardcover
List Price:
$17.99
Publisher:
HarperTeen
Summary/
product description:
“Candace “Candy” Pickens has been obsessed with the swamp lore of her tiny
Louisiana town for…forever.
That
doesn’t mean Candy’s a believer, however. She and her friends entered the swamp
at the start of summer and left it changed, but Candy’s the only one who can’t
see or feel the magical Shine. She’s also the only one who can’t see the ghosts
that have been appearing in town ever since. So Candy concentrates on other
things—real things. Like fighting with her mother and plotting her escape from
her crazy town.
But
ghosts aren’t the only newcomers in Sticks, Louisiana. The King family arrives
like a hurricane: in a blur and unwanted—at least by Candy. Mr. King is intent
on filming the rumored ghostly activity for his hit TV show, Local Haunts. And
while Candy can’t ignore how attracted she is to eighteen-year-old Gage King
and how much his sister, Nova, wants to be friends, she’s still suspicious of
the family.
As
Candy tries to figure out why the Kings are really in town and why the swamp
now seems to be invading every crack in her logical, cynical mind, she stumbles
across the one piece of swamp lore she didn’t know. It’s a tale that’s more
truth than myth, and may have all the answers…and its roots are in Candy’s own
family tree.”
My Review: Behold
the Bones is a companion novel to Beware the Wild, which was told in Sterling
POV. This book is from the POV of Sterling’s skeptic friend, Candy Pickens. It’s
set in the small town of Sticks in the Louisiana bayou. Candy, unlike most of
the town, can’t see the wasting Shine. Sterling says that the Shine actually
goes out of its way to avoid Candy. Candy also can’t see the ghost that other
folk are seeing.
Candy is
scientifically minded and very much a skeptic of the southern superstitions.
She sees the swamp stories that she’s read and herd as a fun thrills used for
manipulation. Until people in Sticks report ghost siting’s that sound like the
ones from the stories. Candy feels left out because she can’t see the ghost.
Sterling, Abigail and Candy trek into the swamp to the Shine tree and try
performing a ritual that Candy hope will let her see the Shine. Nothing seems
to happen.
A few days
later the producer and star of the hit TV show, Local Haunts, Mr. Roosevelt King
moves into the Lillard house historical site and they renovate it. Sticks is
now in the spotlight. Mr. King hopes to film his show there and find answers to
what’s happening. Candy meets his children: Gage, an attractive 18-year-old
guy, Nova, his sister who’s in Candy’s grade, and their kid brother Thad.
Candy (and the whole town) goes to a gala for
Gage’s 18th birthday. A ghost crashes the party and it’s the first
ghost Candy’s ever truly sited. She touches the ghost and the ghost disappears
and now the whole town thinks she’s got a superpower for banishing ghosts. It’s
caught on camera and Mr. King wants it for his show and Candy believe that this
will ruin her life. Candy wants out of Sticks and she doesn’t want any country
baggage following her.
Natalie
C. Parker really knows how to write a southern story full of creepy atmosphere.
I’ve never been to the South before (unless Kentucky counts), but her books
make you feel like you’re there. Since the book is set in late summer, you can
imagine the sticky heat and stick that the swamp must bring. Sometimes in
summer, it feels like that here in Illinois too (we have lots of mashes and it
gets very humid). The swamp becomes like a character in itself. The Shine is
some kind of magic that lives in the swamp and comes from a cherry tree that’s
always in bloom.
Candy’s
perspective is actually more interesting than I remember Sterling’s being.
Sterling described by Candy actually seems a lot more peppy and sweet than I
remember, possibly because she got together with Heath, and also she’s got her
brother back. Abigail is very quiet and she’s African American and like girls.
I forgot about her in the first book. Anyways, these three girls and a great
bond of friendship. Sometimes things become strained. Candy’s sometimes to
bold, and Sterling is like the glue and Abigail tends to be bottled up. They
make friends with Nova King because she seems nice, but she may actually just
want their help and information.
These books are
really enjoyable and fun. If you enjoyed paranormal stories set in the south,
like Beautiful Creature, The Magnolia League, Ghost Huntress, or TV shows like
the Originals, you may enjoy this. Also, if you love anything related to New
Orleans or Louisiana, swamps and gators. Even horror stories not set in the
south, like the Creeping.
Cover Art
Review: I love the colors of this cover. The Payne’s gray-blue and magenta
contrast really well. There’s a face in the fog above Behold with eyes made of
branches. The title treatment is cool and creepy.
