Black Point - by Jacqueline West (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

In an insular small town steeped in Norse traditions, a local teen grapples with dark secrets from the past rising to the surface in this "spine-tingling thrill ride" (School Library Journal, starred review) by New York Times bestselling author Jacqueline West.

Lucia Sorenson holds on hard to the things she loves. Her tiny hometown clings to the bluffs above the Mississippi River, threatened by weather and time. Unlike most people her age, Lucia plans to stay after graduation and help her grandfather run the Viking Museum of Black Point. Maybe then she can keep everything her ancestors built from washing away.

When the Black Point Hotel, a supposedly haunted local landmark, is bought by an outsider, the town is shaken--and for Lucia, fresh changes arrive in the form of the owner's nephew, Max. As Lucia gets to know Max, she begins to question her role in the town's rituals and to see the place, and herself, with new eyes.

But the town is flooding, and old secrets are rising to the surface. Soon Lucia will have to choose between the home she thought she knew and the hideous truths hidden underneath.

Review Quotes

"This ghosty tale of loyalty and sacrifice is cleanly executed with a perfect pace and tight plotting. . . Quick, punchy, and immensely gratifying, this will be a hit with both genre novices and old hands." --BCCB

"This quick-paced folk horror has some bonus ghosts and mystery-solving, and it's easy to root for Lucia as she watches her walls of comfort and trust crumble around her." --Booklist Reviews

★ "An original premise, a genuinely surprising twist, and several very dark moments make this novel a standout in the YA horror genre. The pacing is relentless, the characters vivid and memorable, and the setting hauntingly alive. . . A well-written, spine-tingling thrill ride." --School Library Journal, STARRED REVIEW

★ "The citizens of Black Point, Wis., will stop at nothing to protect their Nordic history and heritage in this spine-tingling supernatural ecological thriller from West (Last Things). . . Dual timelines collide as the water, and the stakes, rise, culminating in a suspenseful and downright gruesome tale." --Publishers Weekly, STARRED REVIEW

"A teenage girl confronts her town's dark past. . . the story is suspenseful and engaging, especially in its shifts between the past and the present, and it will quickly pull readers in. Darkly atmospheric."-- "Kirkus Reviews"

About the Author

Jacqueline West is the author of New York Times bestselling The Books of Elsewhere, the Schneider Family Honor Book The Collectors, and Long Lost, winner of the 2022 Minnesota Book Award for Middle Grade Literature. Her other books include Dreamers Often Lie, Last Things, and Black Point.