Harbinger
-
- $7.99
-
- $7.99
Publisher Description
Plagued by waking visions and nightmares, sixteen-year-old Faye thinks she’s going crazy. Fast. She can hardly blame her parents when they ship her off to the prison-like Holbrook Academy for treatment. On her first night at Holbrook, she feels strangely connected to the school, like she’s come home. But when strange and terrifying things start happening to Faye and her newfound friends, Faye knows she’s the reason, but what does it mean? The handsome Kel helps her unravel the mystery, but Faye is certain he’s also trying to kill her—and maybe the rest of the world too.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Set in a near-future United States where the oil crisis has resulted in food rationing and energy restrictions, Etienne's debut is a dark, dramatic, but uneven call for ecological balance. Sixteen-year-old Faye Robson suffers from hallucinations, nightmares, and insomnia, and she can see secrets in people's minds by touching them. Her parents send her to Holbrook Academy on a Maine island, a school promoted as a caring place for troubled youth, which is actually a harsh and violent prison where the teens are mentally and physically tormented for the slightest transgression. When Faye and her assigned "Family" wake up every morning on the floor with their hands stained red and no memory of what's happened, she begins to connect current events to recovered memories of her childhood. Clues lead her to a century-old prophecy written in blood that predicts the coming of the Harbinger, a force that will wash the world clean, prompting Faye's resolve to stop the destruction of humanity. Tense and well-paced, Etienne's novel effectively draws in readers, but melodrama and mysticism lead to an overwrought and puzzling climax. Ages 12 up.