Mirkat Always Reading

Once upon a time, Althea Prosperine wrote a small collection of dark fairy tales, Tales From the Hinterland. The book has long been out of print, and it is very difficult to find any copies of it. Althea has a cult following, and her living as a recluse in a remote Upstate New York estate called the Hazel Wood only adds to her mystique for die-hard fans.

Alice Prosperine does not know her grandmother Althea. Alice and her mother Ella have always moved from place to place, always escaping "bad luck" that seemed to follow them everywhere. The nomadic existence ends only when Ella receives a letter informing her that Althea has died. This, according to Ella, means they are "free" and can stop moving. They settle in Brooklyn.

Then.... Something happens. The something involves the "bad luck." And Alice does something she never thought she'd do--teaming up with an Althea Prosperine fan and launching into an adventure she never wanted.

This book is the July selection for the "Forever YA" book club that I belong to, and I'm so glad it is. Because I would probably not have found my way to this book on my own, and I really enjoyed it. This book leaves me contemplating the power of stories and the meaning of world-building. I am definitely interested in the sequel.

[The audio version comes with a bonus novella called "The Boy Who Didn't Come Home," from the same universe. The Kindle version includes two stories from Tales From the Hinterland.]