Entangled has done it again! Equal parts fun and creepy,
with enough paranormal elements to delight the horror lover
in me, CONJURE puts a fresh spin on YA paranormal.
Emma and her twin brother Jack have returned to their
father's South Carolina home after a year apart. Emma has a
crush on their neighbor, Cooper, who has been away at
boarding school. When they find a message in a bottle, their
summer becomes filled with adventure, hoodoo, and a nasty
curse. Following the message to a hidden pirate treasure,
Jack unleashes a Gullah curse that infects him with the
flesh-eating Creep. In order to remove the curse, Emma must
become a Hoodoo Apprentice for a Gullah healer. And a
strange girl, bent on revenge, along with devil dogs, all
make for an intense addition. Jack is wasting away as Emma
tries to learn how to remove the curse, deal with her crush,
and confront the obstacles that seem to be thrown at them
from every angle.
Written with a younger voice, the main characters are 14 and
almost 16, Emma and Cooper, respectively. However, getting
past the younger YA feel, the subject of hoodoo, Gullah and
magic really filled in any doubts I had about their ages by
compensating with this awesome storyline. Full of suspense
and intrigue, CONJURE carries itself alone by its
fascinating subject matter. I will be reading the next book
in the series to see what else Nolan has up her sleeve.
Be careful what you search for... Emma Guthrie expects this summer to be like any other in the South Carolina Lowcountry—hot and steamy with plenty of beach time alongside her best friend and secret crush, Cooper Beaumont, and Emma's ever–present twin brother, Jack. But then a mysterious eighteenth–century message in a bottle surfaces, revealing a hidden pirate bounty. Lured by the adventure, the trio discovers the treasure and unwittingly unleashes an ancient Gullah curse that attacks Jack with the wicked flesh–eating Creep and promises to steal Cooper's soul on his approaching sixteenth birthday. But when a strange girl bent on revenge appears, demon dogs become a threat, and Jack turns into a walking skeleton; Emma has no choice but to learn hoodoo magic to undo the hex, all before the last days of summer—and her friends—are lost forever.