Starling

For most of her life, Delta Wilding, 18, has lived with her paranormal-obsessed father, Roark, and sister, Bee, 16, in the Wild West, a semi-sentient house on the outskirts of Darling, Calif. Seventy-two days ago, however, Roark entered their hallway closet and disappeared. The girls have nobody to turn to—Darling’s residents despise the peculiar Wildings, and Mayor Tag Rockford wants a reason to run them out of town—so their only recourse is to lie low and hope their emergency funds last until Roark returns. When something lands in the Wildings’ woods, shaking the ground and illuminating the sky, Delta and Bee investigate. To their shock, they find extraterrestrial Starling Rust, who resembles a teenage boy but for glowing skin, black eyes, and a forked tongue. Taking him home to prevent others from discovering and exploiting him, the sisters clash regarding what to do next. If the worldbuilding is slightly flimsy and the villains cartoonish, Strychacz’s debut boasts evocative writing; a compelling love triangle between Delta, Starling, and Delta’s sometimes-boyfriend, 18-year-old Tag Rockford III; and a kaleidoscopic third-person narrative that adds complexity to the mostly cued-white cast. Ages 12–up. (Nov.)