Reviews for The Life and Death Parade
School Library Journal
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Gr 9 Up-In a rarefied British world of castles and garden parties, three teens become entangled with a band of psychics, mystics, and charlatans called the Life and Death Parade. Kitty is an orphaned teen who lives with the Bramley family in their crumbling estate and is in love with their son Nikki. After Nikki is told by a psychic that he has no future, he seems to descend into madness as he obsesses about his fate, ultimately leading to a gruesome death. Kitty and the family grieve and no one is able to move on from the tragedy until Kitty brings a member of the LADP back to the castle to help the family contact Nikki in the afterworld. This story is dark and completely entwined with different mystical theories and philosophies, with several unexpected twists and turns. However, the plot misses several opportunities to delve deeply into any one area and skims and hops from one thing to another, often leaving readers behind. With section breaks featuring poems about multiple deaths written by the author's famously twice-deceased musician husband, this book is possibly an option for readers interested in exploring the area between life and death, and whether or not it is possible to ever truly come back to those who loved them. VERDICT An additional purchase.-Kate Olson, Bangor School District, WI © Copyright 2018. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus
Copyright © Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
An enigmatic story centering around a young man's mysterious death foretold by a psychic.Kitty lives in an anachronistic castle in the English country with her late mother's employers, the aristocratic Bramleys. After the Bramleys' son, Nikki, visits a psychic one night and learns that he has no future, his behavior swiftly turns erratic and dangerous, bewildering his loved ones. The narrative shifts abruptly forward a year in time, and we learn that Nikki has, in fact, died under mysterious circumstances. With the family deep in the throes of grief, Kitty sets out to discover the psychic who spoke with Nikki in hopes of understanding what led to his inexplicable, fatal downward spiral. Instead she comes across Roan, a young man who tells her about the Life and Death Parade, a traveling troupe of charlatans who peddle dark magic to believers, which include himself, the psychic, and Kitty's late mother in their ranks. Kitty helps Roan to ingratiate himself with the Bramleys so that she can use him to find the psychic, but nothing turns out quite like she expects. When the carnival of the Life and Death Parade finally makes its appearance, the pace of the cryptic narrative escalates via a series of surprising twists and revelations. The book assumes a white default.Patient readers will be rewarded with a meandering, fitful yarn enlivened by undercurrents of dark magic. (Fiction. 14-adult) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Publishers Weekly
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Katherine "Kitty" Damice is a 16-year-old orphan who lives in an English castle with her deceased mother's former employers, Lord and Lady Bramley. The previous summer, a psychic told the Bramley's youngest son, Nikki, that he had no future. Now Nikki is dead, and his family is falling apart. Kitty goes in search of the fatalistic fortune teller, hoping for answers. Instead, she finds Roan, a teenage medium. Roan, who belongs to a religious traveling carnival called the Life and Death Parade, offers to help Kitty and bring the Bramleys closure by contacting Nikki. His séance proves cathartic, and the grateful family invites him to move in. But as Roan teaches Kitty about "the LDP," she can't stop questioning his motives. An intriguing premise, clever twists, and evocative writing buoy Wass's debut novel. Flashbacks chronicle the events preceding Nikki's demise, heightening suspense, and although shallow plotting and underdeveloped characters dampen the story's impact, Wass delivers some keen observations regarding love, faith, and grief. Ages 14-18. Agent: Madeleine Milburn, Madeleine Milburn Literary Agency. (June) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
