Persephone’s Curse

A quartet of sisters with creative gifts navigate their mythical heritage in this realms-spanning read. Sixteen- year-old Winnie Farthing has always seen ghosts—specifically those of her long-dead female ancestors who roam the streets of New York City, part of a lineage Winnie’s aunt claims descends from the Greek goddess Persephone. Each Farthing sister, born two years apart, bears a unique ability: Bernie with words, Evie with music, and Clara with art. Though she is in awe of her sisters and their gifts, Winnie frequently feels adrift, believing she lacks talent. When Bernie returns from college with a black eye—and remains tight-lipped as to how she got it—cracks begin to form in the family’s equilibrium. Most troubling is Evie’s romance with Henry, the 17-year-old ghost bound to their house and the only spirit that all four Farthing sisters can see. As Evie spirals, fearing leaving him behind for college, Winnie confronts Henry, unleashing a heretofore unknown power that she uses to banish him to the underworld. Evie’s subsequent attempt to reclaim him opens a rift between the afterlife and the mortal realm that threatens to destroy their home and their bloodline. Via poetic prose and a richly wrought metropolitan setting, Leno (Horrid) crafts a haunting, lyrical tale that blends contemporary gothic ambiance with Greek myth, making for an introspective family drama that muses on sisterhood and grief. All main characters cue as white. Ages 13–up. (Dec.)