Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Hamill (A Cosmology of Monsters) returns with a dark and enchanting account of four friends whose dabbling in the supernatural as teenagers threatens their present happiness. In the 1990s, Hal, Athena, Erin, and Peter discover the Dissonance, which enables them to transform negative emotions into great feats of magic, and form a power-hungry coven. In 2019, now adults and their coven dissolved due to some unstated disaster, the friends must reckon with the consequences of their impulsive adolescent actions. Toggling between the two timelines to tease out what happened between now and then, Hamil weaves a tale of magic, teen angst, the power of enduring friendship, life in small-town America, sexuality, and the use of religion (in this case, Christianity) as a tool of subjugation. As the friends learn more of what they are capable of, they also discover what, and who, is behind the forces of Dissonance, building to a shocking conclusion that will change them forever. Fantasy readers won't want to put this down. Agent: Kent Wolf, Neon Literary. (July)
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by Library Journal Review
Decades after teenage mishaps with magic left a coven shattered, those still remaining are drawn to the sole survivor of a summoning gone wrong. Erin, Hal, and Athena still long for the lost magic called Dissonance--now lost--and the relationships that shattered so long ago. Meanwhile, Owen has been kidnapped by the violent, possessed body of his crush, learning in the hardest way that magic is real. Hamill (A Cosmology of Monsters) weaves the past and present into a teasing narrative, holding tight to revelations so as to maximize listeners' anticipation. Soneela Nankani narrates the whole cast, embodying each character's quirks, insecurities, and guilt as they navigate the dangers across their lives. She portrays their true wonder as children discovering their power, facing off during their first tests, and traveling to new worlds. When depicting the grown-up versions, Nankani voices doubts that are more bitter and tinged with a grief that's only hinted at deep into the novel. The characters' need to recapture the victories of their youth and choose better will resonate with many listeners. VERDICT A great listen for fans of Naomi Novik's "The Scholomance" trilogy, where magic is hungry, and children are disposable.--Matthew Galloway
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
The surviving members of a powerful teenage coven of magicians reunite in East Texas. Much like Hamill's debut, A Cosmology of Monsters (2019), this meaty horror novel is a treat for readers whose nostalgia gravitates to the likes of Stand by Me, Twin Peaks, or, most thematically, Stephen King's It. In a similar vein to Chuck Wendig's Miriam Black novels or Stephen Graham Jones' Indian Lake trilogy, Hamill takes some ordinary young people and puts them through the metaphysical wringer to see what's left at the end. In Clegg, Texas, circa the late 1990s, we meet best pals Hal, Athena, and Erin. Their chance encounter with a lost boy in the woods leads them to classmate Peter and his grandfather, Professor Elijah Marsh, an eccentric practitioner of the titular magic who teaches them the ropes. "This power, this energy, this Dissonance?" explains the professor. "It's born from discomfort. From unhappiness. From pain. This world we occupy, and which we hope to control, is a broken, violent place." Grappling with forces they don't really understand leads to a disaster that claims many lives, including one of their own. Unfortunately, our heroes aren't in great shape two decades later. Erin is a barista going nowhere, Athena parlayed her magical talents into running an occult bookstore, and recovering alcoholic Hal is on his way to prison for murder. When an invitation to a 20th-anniversary memorial service arrives, no one wants to revisit the scene of the crime. But after a well-meaning closeted teen named Owen botches a necromancy spell and finds himself playing Renfield to a bad actor, they're forced to reunite not just to confront their past but employ all their collective gifts to save the world. The rules governing Hamill's fantastical universe can be a little hazy, but when the nightmare-fraught tale is filled with monsters, teleportation, time travel, and other supernatural wonders, it's more fun to embrace the chaos. A wistful, emotional roller coaster that finds worse than memories waiting at home. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
