Bad Witch Burning

June 15, 2021
Desperate for money, a teen uses her superpowers to connect with the dead. Katrell Davis can talk to the dead. She doesn't know why or even how her powers work, but for a small fee, clients pay her to communicate with their deceased loved ones. When she accidentally brings her dog back from the dead, everything changes. Understanding that a live body is worth a lot more than a ghost--and she might not have to worry anymore about the bills each week--Katrell moves forward with this lucrative new business even as each resurrection makes her sicker than the last. When bad things start happening and she attracts the attention of some dangerous people, she must decide whether the money is worth it. There are pacing challenges toward the end as the narrative stalls due to some repetition, but the character development is outstanding, and each character is drawn in a way that evokes a reaction--even if it is anger or disgust. The positioning of school as a hindrance to earning money for daily survival expertly shines light on the experiences of people facing food insecurity. The exploration of foster care and related fears around the ramifications of entering the system are well written, with just enough information to cultivate understanding without overexposing young readers to trauma. Primary characters are Black. A gripping, supernatural twist on the no-win decisions created by the cycle of poverty. (Paranormal. 13-18)

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Starred review from June 21, 2021
Katrell Davis, 16, is at the end of her rope living with her unemployed mother and her mother’s perpetually abusive boyfriend. Failing most of her classes, she supplements her meager income flipping burgers by communicating with the dead for pay. During a séance with her best friend Will, Will’s late grandmother cautions that if Katrell continues to contact the deceased, she’ll burn herself and everything around her. Following a violent encounter with her mother’s boyfriend that leaves her beloved dog dead, Katrell discovers a frightening new dimension to her power—she can resurrect the departed. Despite dire warnings against using her burgeoning powers, Katrell becomes desperate for cash when her work hours are cut and she discovers that her mother has squandered the money meant for rent and the electric bill. So she takes her chances, embarking on a series of 10 resurrections, each more financially lucrative than the last. But with great power comes unwanted attention—and unintended consequences that show Katrell just what it means for everything to burn. As intense emotions leap from the page in every vibrantly depicted scene, Lewis’s YA debut portrays both Katrell’s hopeless love for her manipulative mother and her fear of abject poverty with stinging realism. Katrell and former foster child Will are two kind, passionate, stubborn Black teens who want only the best for each other after having endured the worst. Their wonderful connection anchors this chillingly supernatural tale, easily breathing life into its world full of ghosts. Ages 12–up. Agent: Holly Root, Root Literary.

August 1, 2021

Gr 9 Up-Katrell has a gift: she can communicate with the dead. When her dog is shot, however, Katrell accidentally taps into a side of her power she never knew she had: she can bring the dead back to life. Seizing what she sees as a lucrative opportunity to pull her family out of poverty, Katrell begins to experiment with her newfound necromancy, with the reluctant moral support of Will, her best friend. At first, it seems like the money she makes from the Revenants, what Will terms the resurrected bodies, will be enough to give Katrell some breathing room. But the paranormal turns quickly to horror, as the zombielike Revenants grow in power and agency. Their actions become extreme, leading to a gory and over-the-top chain of events that nearly breaks what little connection to life Katrell has left. Despite the somewhat theatrical climax, Katrell's motivations through the book are very real in the face of her mom's abusive partner, the more subtle psychological abuse she endures from her mother, and the poverty that threatens to crush them. Lewis has crafted a tale of horror with excellent pacing, visceral action, and characters who live with daily terror even before the resurrections. She deftly layers questions of power, trust, and love in a narrative that is hard to put down. VERDICT A good choice for paranormal and horror collections.-Jen McConnel, Longwood University, VA

Copyright 2021 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from August 1, 2021
Grades 9-12 *Starred Review* Readers are in for a treat when they pick up Lewis' deliciously chilling novel about a teen girl who can talk to the dead. Katrell earns desperately needed money with her gift, but it's never enough to offset her mom's never-ending unemployment. Things take a turn when Katrell accidentally learns that she can also raise the dead, which proves a far more lucrative power--one that could change the trajectory of her whole life. But for Katrell, the new power triggers a descent into darkness from which even darker forces begin hunting her. She must grapple with her new ability, learn what it means, and decide if she's willing to let it go, or to risk losing herself and those she loves. Lewis artfully constructs delightfully voiced characters and compelling stakes in her debut novel. Full of wonderful Black girl magic, it also explores hefty themes like family, poverty, and the lengths to which a teen girl will go to fight for a better life. This is a necessary read that explores deep issues surrounding class and poverty in the Black community, thrillingly set against a witchy, contemporary fantasy backdrop. Pair with Tiffany D. Jackson's White Smoke (2021) for another supernatural take on very real social issues haunting society today.

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November 1, 2021
Trell has the ability to communicate with the dead through letter-writing. Her skill brings comfort to the loved ones of the deceased and much-needed income to Trell. The teen is the breadwinner for an extremely neglectful and abusive household consisting of her unemployed mother and Mom's revolving door of unappealing, sometimes violent boyfriends. One of the dead she communicates with warns Trell to stop her supernatural activities. But when she discovers that she can actually raise the dead, it's hard to resist this lucrative prospect, as she is desperate for anything that might alleviate the horrifying emotional and physical violence she suffers at home (and hesitant to ask for help, as she fears being separated from her mother). Lewis's debut straddles the line between fantasy and horror, the latter coming from both the life this protagonist was born into and the dark magic she ushers in. Compellingly written with nuanced, fallible characters, the story is intense and at times heart-wrenching; relationships with a friend and a guidance counselor offer some bright spots for Trell. Alongside issues of poverty, parental neglect, and abuse, the novel provides welcome positive examples of resilience, friendship, vulnerability, and growing into one's personal power. Monique Harris

(Copyright 2021 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

July 1, 2021
Trell has the ability to communicate with the dead through letter-writing. Her skill brings comfort to the loved ones of the deceased and much-needed income to Trell. The teen is the breadwinner for an extremely neglectful and abusive household consisting of her unemployed mother and Mom's revolving door of unappealing, sometimes violent boyfriends. One of the dead she communicates with warns Trell to stop her supernatural activities. But when she discovers that she can actually raise the dead, it's hard to resist this lucrative prospect, as she is desperate for anything that might alleviate the horrifying emotional and physical violence she suffers at home (and hesitant to ask for help, as she fears being separated from her mother). Lewis's debut straddles the line between fantasy and horror, the latter coming from both the life this protagonist was born into and the dark magic she ushers in. Compellingly written with nuanced, fallible characters, the story is intense and at times heart-wrenching; relationships with a friend and a guidance counselor offer some bright spots for Trell. Alongside issues of poverty, parental neglect, and abuse, the novel provides welcome positive examples of resilience, friendship, vulnerability, and growing into one's personal power.

(Copyright 2021 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)