OH. MY. GOODNESS!
This book was just SO MUCH and yet not enough! I'm already clamoring to find out when the next one will come out because THAT ENDING just wasn't fair! I HAVE to know more! Okay, so dialing back my enthusiasm for a second to talk more about this book...

From the start, your CREEPY meter will be set on HIGH. From the creature with TOO MANY TEETH to the unusually chipper, perfectly groomed Patrick of GREEN ON, Dr. Anderson the collector of stories (or is he?) to Aiden Price (who is still around but only just!), there is so much spooky, spine chilling strangeness to go around, you won't know where to look! Okay, well actually you will because the story takes you firmly by the hand and drags you along for a breakneck speed ride through the pages that you will finish sooner than you hope and yet not soon enough! Rae is a fabulous character with just enough skepticism to keep her questioning, but not quite enough caution to keep her out of trouble. Caden was meant to counterbalance her forward motion with his cautious think first nature, but when it comes to helping those he holds close, even he has his moments of quick decisions versus contemplation. The pair of them together, along with Vivienne (who I was surprised to see as a friend versus foe...although, what IS with the backpack?!), Alyssa, and Rae's big sister (again, surprised by her turn of character!), make quite a team...now if they can only survive this adventure to continue uncovering the truths that they've BOTH sought all this time...

High recommendation for older Middle Grade readers who don't mind that chill running down their spine because it's definitely not one to miss!


**ecopy received for review; opinions are my own ( )

Rae's family moves to the town of Whispering Pines for a new start after her father's disappearance. Everyone seems to believe he ran out on them, but Rae knows the truth: he was either abducted by aliens, or the government did something to him when he started indicating that he wanted out of the project he'd been working on for them. Whatever the project was, Rae knows it involved an alien spacecraft. She's determined to keep investigating, even though it cost her friends back at her old home.

Whispering Pines has mysteries of its own, however. The town has a very strict curfew, and her new school has lots of weird rules, like "no chalk allowed," "no wearing garlic," and "no wearing red, not even red lipstick." And everyone seems to think it's normal for kids to go missing every year. Still, this year the number of missing kids is higher than usual and, disturbingly, the ones that have turned up again have all had their eyes taken.

When Rae's first friend at Whispering Pines disappears, she decides to start investigating and eventually teams up with Caden Price, the local "weird kid" whose mother runs a ghost-hunting business. Caden has his own secrets. He can sense people's emotions. He's also the only one who knows what really happened to his older brother Aiden, who disappeared a while back...because he's responsible for what happened to Aiden.

The illustrated cover is what drew me to this. It's gorgeous and moody, and now that I've read the book, I can tell that both Rae and Caden's secrets have been worked into it. Nice.

The weirdness of Whispering Pines hooked me pretty quickly - it made me think of the TV series Eureka, only the weirdness was supernatural rather than scientific. Although gradually it became clear that this was more of a Buffy the Vampire Slayer Hellmouth situation - the locals had some awareness of what was going on in their town but never talked about it and generally pretended things were normal.

Unfortunately, it felt like there was a little too much packed into this: Caden's ghost-hunting family, the portal to another dimension, Caden's ability, Rae's father's alien spaceship project, whatever was going on with Green On! (a mysterious energy company), etc. It probably didn't help that I initially approached this as more of a standalone, but it really is the first book in a series - the only thing that's resolved by the end is the mystery of the eye-snatcher.

The family aspects were extremely frustrating. It seemed like everyone was making secret plans but not talking to anyone else in their family, even as they were all hurting due to their respective traumas. And it wasn't like the hurt was invisible - it made me angry when I found out just how much one parent knew about what was going on with their kid...and then they just did nothing.

I haven't decided yet whether I'll continue on with this.

(Original review posted on A Library Girl's Familiar Diversions.) ( )

Have you ever opened a book, read the first chapter, and then had to take a minute to really process what you just read? That’s Whispering Pines, my friends. It’s no secret that I am a big fan of creepy reads. I love ghosts, ghouls, and things that go bump in the night. However, I admit that I wasn’t quite ready for the prospect of an eye-snatching monster. This story gave me the shivers, and I loved it for that.

Let’s start with Rae and Caden, shall we? Two very different characters, who mesh together perfectly. Rae is still reeling from the loss of her father, and her abrupt move to a new town. A town that, to be brief, is definitely not normal by any means. Caden has also lost someone, his brother, and is dealing with the guilt that comes along with that. When these two meet a bond is formed that is easy to get attached to. I loved that there is no romantic subplot here. Just two friends, who are determined to uncover what is happening and stop it by any means necessary.

One of my favorite things about stories like this is when a trail of breadcrumbs is laid, enticing the reader to keep following along with the characters. Lang and Bartowski did a stellar job of this! As Rae and Caden investigate, little pieces fall into place. I’m particularly happy to report that I was unable to figure out the ending before it happened. If you’ve been following me for any length of time, you know what a big deal that is! The mystery here is well built, and a lot of fun to follow.

So why the four stars? It was only the ending that had me a tiny bit on the fence. I can see why it was set up that way and, without spoiling, I am actually looking forward to what is potentially coming. Still I was hoping for more of a climax after such an exciting romp through the terrifying woods. Will I read anything else that comes out in this series? You bet I will. So that should tell you how much this book needs to be on your TBR. It is well worth your time! ( )