Mara wakes up in a field of dense fog with no memories of her life, her past or how she came to be in the field. She sees no one, until a mysterious boy clothed in black appears before her. He explains that he is The Messenger of Fear and that she is to come with him as he dispenses justice to young people who have evil in their hearts. If the world does not punish their misdeeds, he offers them a chance to play a game. If they win, they go free, but if they lose, they may have to come in contact with their deepest, darkest fears. Mara is appalled by what she sees, but she cannot seem to separate herself from Messenger and his work. What crucial memory is Mara missing that would clarify her confusing new life?
Why It's Worth Reading:
For one thing, Michael Grant (author of the Gone, BZRK, and Magnificent 12 series) wrote this book, so it's almost guaranteed to be well-written scif. fi. or fantasy with a definite spooky quality. Grant's books are all extremely popular in our library. Also, it's the first book in a relatively new series, so if you end up enjoying this book (like I did), you'll have some additional built in reading material because you're definitely going to want to read on to find out what happens to Mara and Messenger next. There's something about this book that has a very autumnal quality to it as well - maybe it's the mystical, creepy tone or the chilling fog that seems to permeate the most eerie scenes. If for none of these other reasons, read it for the ending. There's a pretty crazy twist that will definitely have you flipping back to previous chapters to try to figure out how you could have figured it out sooner! Oh, and the cover is pretty cool-looking too.
Book Details:
ISBN: 9780062207401
Format: Hardcover
Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books
Publication Date: September 23, 2014
Source: LIBRES review group
Do We Own a Copy?: My LIBRES copy is now in the LMC, and I have additional copies in order!