The Seeking

Frank (Broken) invites readers into a sinister near-future fantasy world but fails to deliver on her promising premise. Each year, the city of Carra chooses the Exalted family who will rule the city through the Halloween-time ritual of the Seeking, a high-octane version of hide and go seek. The ritual also serves to renew the magic binding the monstrous creatures known as the Gray People to Carra to protect the city’s human inhabitants from giant insects that would kill them. Dahlia Priest’s family has won the Seeking an unprecedented five years in a row, leading to widespread resentment over how long they’ve been Exalted. The tale finds Dahlia on the morning of this year’s Seeking and follows her and her girlfriend as they fight for their lives after the ritual goes horribly wrong. Though the stakes are set high, Frank dissipates the tension by neatly resolving every danger Dahlia faces almost immediately after it’s introduced, generally through other characters swooping in to save her. Dahlia’s inaction and vague characterization make her a difficult heroine to connect with or root for. Readers excited by the eerie setting will find this one a letdown. (Nov.)