Ask Me
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5.0 • 1 Rating
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- $8.99
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- $8.99
Publisher Description
Paranormal gets a Stephen King makeover: An oracle in a small-town Florida uses her troubling gift to stop a murderer—before he comes for her.
Aria Morse is an Oracle, blessed—or cursed—with the gift of prophecy. Ask her anything, and the truth spills out immediately. But Aria’s answers sound like nonsense, even to herself . . . just as they did to those at Delphi 2,500 years ago. To cope, Aria has perfected the art of hiding in plain sight—until Jade Price, the closest person she has to a friend, disappears.
All of a sudden, everyone around her has questions. The “nonsense” Aria spouts becomes a matter of life and death. Aria may be the only one who can find out what happened to Jade. But the closer she gets to the truth, the closer she comes to being the next target of someone else who hides in plain sight. Someone with a very dark plan.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Pauley (Cat Girl's Day Off) updates the conceit of a compulsively truthful, Cassandralike protagonist in this well-executed mystery. Aria, 17, is both mysterious and familiar the girl cringing in the corner, mumbling weird stuff. It's not awkwardness or a wretched home life that makes her behave this way, though. Aria is an oracle, who must answer truthfully every question she hears. She doesn't have conscious access to most of this knowledge, and she's often confused by what she says. After classmate Jade goes missing, it's Aria who gives the crucial clue that leads to discovery of the body. But when she is drawn into the quest to discover Jade's killer, the twists of her oracular gift obscure the answer until it's nearly too late. Pauley's characterizations are superior, and the startling, sometimes painful things Aria says make for sharp dialogue. The only stumble is in the denouement, when the emotions built over the preceding pages unravel too quickly and superficially. For the most part, however, this is an absorbing and resonant read. Ages 14 up.
