11 must-read new YA releases that will capture your heart this February
By Lacy Baugher
The Last Confession of Autumn Casterly – Meredith Tate
Mystery The Last Confession of Autumn Casterly is a dark, contemporary thriller that will keep you turning the pages right up until the end.
When Autumn Casterly never returns home one night, no one seems to think that anything’s wrong except for her sister Ivy. After all, everyone knows Autumn’s a bad girl, so this sort of thing was bound to happen eventually, wasn’t it?
Ivy knows better. She’s sure something very bad has happened, so with the help of her friends, the Nerd Herd, she decides to find out what. What Ivy doesn’t know is that Autumn’s sprit – freed from her broken body, trapped between life and death – has been trying to contact her.
The story alternates between the sisters’ POVs and switches between the mundane and the supernatural as we see both Ivy’s determined search and the dark, violent story of what, precisely, has happened to Autumn. The novel is a tale about sisters, but also survivors, and the things we must all overcome. With a little bit of supernatural stuff thrown on top.
The official synopsis describes the story as follows.
"When band-geek Ivy and her friends get together, things start with a rousing board game and end with arguments about Star Wars. Her older sister Autumn is a different story. Enigmatic, aloof, and tough as nails, Autumn hasn’t had real friends–or trusted anyone–in years. Even Ivy. But Autumn might not be tough enough. After a drug deal gone wrong, Autumn is beaten, bound, and held hostage. Now, trapped between life and death, she leaves her body, seeking help. No one can sense her presence–except her sister. When Autumn doesn’t come home, Ivy just knows she’s in trouble. Unable to escape the chilling feeling that something isn’t right, Ivy follows a string of clues that bring her closer to rescuing her sister… and closer to danger. Autumn needs Ivy to find her before time runs out. But soon, both sisters realize that finding her also means untangling the secrets that lead to the truth–about where they’re hiding Autumn, and what Autumn has been hiding."
The Last Confession of Autumn Casterly is available