School Library Journal Review
Gr 7 Up--What happens in Indianola, TX, stays in Indianola, TX--by design. For reasons the adults in her life don't seem to want to articulate, Claire has been shipped off to the small town to take care of her ailing (and unpleasant) grandmother for the summer. The surprise of encountering a bizarre monster-like creature in her backyard is surpassed by her surprise at the town's resigned nonchalance about its presence. It turns out Indianola has "had" monsters for years, but once you leave the city limits you forget about them. Breaking the historical boundary agreements about where they are and aren't allowed to be, the monsters seem to be circling in closer to town, or more specifically, closer to Claire. As she gets to know some other local teens--the unsettlingly perfect Audrey, and the cool (and cute) monster exterminator, Julie--Claire's memory and perception becomes increasingly muted and foggy. It's clear there are dark forces at play, and Julie and Claire dig into the town's past to try to find some answers. This quick, fun sci-fi mystery is uncomplicated but intriguing, has a fair amount of buried small-town resentments, and involves a sweet queer romance plotline. The disorientation Claire feels as she makes her way through Indianola is shared by the reader to fun and atmospheric effect, and the depiction of the benign, but deeply out-of-place, monsters is well done. VERDICT A fun, mysterious read for fans of light sci-fi.--Beth McIntyre, formerly at Madison P.L., WI
Publisher's Weekly Review
Small-town politics, weird creatures, and LGBTQ first love elevate this fast-paced piece of speculative horror from nostalgic homage to gleeful update. It's 1993, and 17-year-old Claire Whitmore is stuck in her mother's retrograde hometown of Indianola, Tex., for the summer, caring for her chronically ill grandmother. But when furred lizard-creatures speak to her in the backyard, Claire learns about the town's secret: the monster colony in its old power plant, whose reality-bending powers force anyone leaving Indianola to forget them. But as Polish American Claire and 17-year-old Mexican American monster exterminator Julie Alvarez investigate the monsters' interest in Claire--as well as a cheerful, ominous neighbor--they discover the buried connection between their families, a hidden love affair, and the truth behind Indianola's monsters. Clarke (Star's End) unfolds the town's mystery with a compulsively building menace, while delightfully alien monsters, sweet queer representation, and a riot grrrl soundtrack keep even tense moments fun. Fans of Brenna Yovanoff, Christopher Pike, and Stranger Things will enjoy this light, smart thriller. Ages 14--up. (Oct.)
Kirkus Review
Claire's summer becomes a mind-bending, life-changing mystery. It's 1993, and Claire is trapped in small-town Indianola, Texas, spending the summer caring for her ailing Grammy. Homesick and missing her new boyfriend, Claire is eager to leave harsh, critical Grammy's sweltering house and get to know her new friends better: charismatic Julie, whom Claire just can't stop thinking about, and the perky, old-fashioned, and sometimes unnerving Audrey. When a strange monster appears--a small, alligatorlike creature covered in fur that speaks to Claire and turns out to be just the first of many monsters that inhabit the town--and her memory starts slipping, Claire realizes Indianola has hidden, dangerous secrets woven in its history. Alternating between Claire's and Julie's perspectives, the mystery is slow to unveil itself, intermingling elements of supernatural horror and an idyllic, rural summer to ratchet up the tension. Likewise, Julie's insider view as a local who works for her family's monster exterminator business gives the mystery an extra twist. As Claire delves deeper into Indianola's past, new family secrets emerge and change everything. The slow-burn lesbian romance, convoluted family mysteries, and the paranormal aspects of memory loss and the nature of reality will hook readers. Claire and Audrey are cued as white; Julie and her family are Latinx. Will send readers through a twisty labyrinth to a satisfying conclusion. (Paranormal mystery. 12-adult) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
Clarke's trippy, twisty sf mystery takes place in rural Indianola, TX, in 1993. Claire figures that her summer playing live-in servant for her sick grandmother will be dull, even with a new friend--perky, perfect Audrey, whose relentless friendship is both compelling and stifling. Claire dismisses her off-kilter feelings, sudden headaches, and cloudy memories, until she meets her first monster, a fur-covered reptilian creature on two legs that tries to speak. Her grandmother calls the exterminator as if this were a mere pest, and through Julie, the apprentice who arrives, Claire learns of Indianola's history and the memory-altering power that keeps it secret. Julie reassures Claire that the monsters aren't dangerous, thanks to a 100-year-old treaty, but as summer progresses, the monsters' attentions increase, Audrey manipulates, and reality bends around the three girls. Clarke slowly ratchets up the tension of this fascinating, genre-bending mystery with an almost too-convoluted series of reveals about family legacies, gaps in reality, and the space-time continuum. A sweet romance between Claire and Julie balances the more gonzo elements. Original and compelling.
