Alexander Yates

Evergreen bk award nominee 2022: A plague called "the Wickedness" has spread through the world and it's dividing the population into: "The Wicked", infected; "the True" not infected; "the Vexed" immune - spread by mosquito/dragonfly like insects called "singers". Main character Astrid has lived her entire life in a glass enclosed protected community called Goldsport close to the coastline of Maine; she and the only other teen in the community, Hank, wonder if Puffin Island, with a lighthouse that occasionally lights up, potentially have True residents still surviving there ...but all the adults in their lives refuse to tell them anything and forbid them from going.
THAT's just the start...this is an usual mystery/horror/dystopian novel : one, the plot and setting/world building are spooled out carefully - no wasted passages here; two, Astrid and Hank are typical teens but with family struggles (trigger alert: Hank suffers occasional harsh punishments at the hands of his father) and while the seem destined to be boyfriend/girlfriend and have "fooled around" a LOT, Astrid has recently stepped back, insisted they just be friends-and oh yeah: Astrid is unique: she's one of the Vexed. Three: a second narrator, teenager Natalie, one of the few residents on Puffin Island, comes into the storyline, and both stories are told with great pacing, rising suspense, & even a bit of macabre humor: the Wicked are strangely normally looking and speaking in all ways, EXCEPT the horrible virus has rendered them incapable of any human restraint or empathy for others. They behave like four yr olds in a nursery and cannot comprehend their actions- great "creep factor": they may speak to you cheerfully about coming into your conclave so they can "stab you in the heart and tear out your lungs"- no conniving, no subterfuge, sudden shifts. And for me, the author goes one layer more: (the title implies it) but his story subtly asks readers to consider who are truly the "wicked"- excellent thematic /character development treatment in here. Others have criticized the supporting characters' treatment, but I think author does a good job. AND (my favorite) a twist you don't see coming until the last pages...so worth it. Read this book in one day..yeah, I binged and lost a good night's sleep - it was worth it! Author hints there may be a sequel.… (plus d'informations)

Upon their father's death, Tess and her younger brother, Axel, leave New York for their unknown grandparents in Finland. They see a bear (their mother's spirit) with a strange man who is the Keeper of Souls. Axel is already plagued with the disease that killed his mom and the keeper wants him to take his place. Tess must fight to keep her brother safe.

FROM AMAZON: There is a middle world between life and death, and Tess must navigate it to save her brother in this heart-wrenching story infused with the fractured and fantastical realms of Finnish mysticism.

Axel and Tess are bewildered when a stranger shows up in their backyard accompanied by a giant brown bear, but before they can investigate the bizarre encounter, something more harrowing happens: their father is killed in a freak car accident.

Now orphaned, Tess and Axel are shipped off to Finland to live with grandparents who they’ve never met, and are stunned to discover that the mysterious stranger with the bear has found them again. More stunning—they come to understand that this man isn’t really a man…he’s a keeper of souls. And the bear isn’t really a bear…it’s a ghost. Their mother’s ghost. Wandering, endlessly, searching for their father.

Then the Keeper invites Axel, who is fighting his symptoms of muscular dystrophy, to join the path of the dead—and when Axel disappears into the deep snow, Tess knows she must find a way to follow. There are mysteries connected to this peculiar man, this keeper, and if she can untangle them, she might not only save Axel, but also bring her parents peace.… (plus d'informations)