Blurb: No blood. No body. No murder.
That’s what the police found after Penelope spun her bizarre tale. In a hysterical state, she said her father was butchered and eaten by a mob of birds ~ in her bedroom.
They claim she’s crazy.
That she suffers from delusions.
Penelope is dead set on proving them wrong.
After being institutionalized for eight months, Penelope is out and more determined than ever to find answers to her so-called hallucinations. With her father’s untimely disappearance, she’s convinced her family is hiding something sinister.
Review: Penelope Cordae swears she saw her father torn apart by a fearsome flock of birds, but when her family ships her off to a psychiatric institution, it could be that she was imagining it. Yet she doesn't believe she's crazy. When Penelope finally gets home, she wants nothing more than to prove she wasn't insane, but there are bigger secrets her family is hiding. As she pokes into them, she puts not only those she loves in jeopardy but herself as well.
This was a fantastic YA paranormal read. It begins with Penelope witnessing a horrifying murder, but is it real? It's easy to be pulled back and forth between wondering if what she saw was true or if her mind was using it to cover up her trauma or, even worse, if it's something else that is far more frightening. I liked the mental chaos, and how Penelope wanted to believe the people she loved were telling the truth, but it meant doubting herself.
The Cordaes are not a picturesque family. The grandmother rules with an iron fist. The old buzzard is truly terrifying! Yet Penelope's younger siblings are totally adorable, and she is dedicated to them. They hadn't suffered the horrors she did. Dean is Penelope's best friend and secret crush who lives next door, but will he believe her? I love how tangled everything is and how it unwinds in the most unexpected ways. This book has a great gothic atmosphere with the Cordae family home, the Crows Nest.
You can find Cathrina Constantine on her site and buy the book here.