cover image Slice of Cherry

Slice of Cherry

Dia Reeves., Simon Pulse, $16.99 (512p) ISBN 978-1-4169-8620-1

Smalltown secrets meet the supernatural in Reeve's thematic follow-up to Bleeding Violet, also set in the bizarre town of Portero, Tex. Kit and Fancy Cordelle are the teenage daughters of the infamous Bonesaw Killer, ostracized and dismissed for having the same sociopathic genes. That's okay, they have each other, and they share everything, from secrets to a taste for killing. When they find a portal into another world—a way to do whatever they want to their victims without being caught—they indulge in some recreational mayhem, ridding the town of assorted undesirables. Then they get mixed up with the Turner brothers, sons of their father's last victim, and soon the sisters' unity is threatened by something new: growing up. Can love, whether sisterly or romantic, flourish in a town full of monsters and mysteries? Budding sexuality wars with killer instincts as things get messy. With so many disparate elements in play, it's easy to lose track of the narrative, but at heart, this is a memorable and utterly twisted coming-of-age story that reads like Dexter for (mature) teens, soaked in the paranormal—and blood. Ages 14–up. (Jan.)