cover image A Darkly Beating Heart

A Darkly Beating Heart

Lindsay Smith. Roaring Brook, $17.99 (264p) ISBN 978-1-62672-044-2

Seattle teen Reiko is “mastering a path of hatred” in order to exact revenge for the betrayal, abuse, and humiliation she has suffered at the hands of those closest to her. She travels to Japan before college to live with her uncle’s family in Tokyo, where she finds another target: her self-absorbed, fame-seeking cousin, Akiko. While unhappily photographing Akiko during a shoot in a small town, Reiko finds a stone that transports her from present-day Japan into the life of an Edo-period girl named Miyu. Though Reiko loves escaping into Miyu’s world at first, she eventually uncovers—and must foil—Miyu’s own plan for vengeance. Smith’s (Dreamstrider) detailed descriptions of Japanese culture and the time travel element are the highlights of this novel. Reiko and Miyu come across as angry caricatures; Smith slowly and cryptically teases out their traumatic pasts, making it difficult to empathize with either of them. Beyond the “why,” Smith also does little to elaborate on the “how” of Reiko’s plot, and the conclusion is too neatly and unrealistically resolved given Reiko’s previous mental state. Ages 12–up. Agent: Ammi-Joan Paquette, Erin Murphy Literary. (Oct.)