Eerie whispers and dark secrets haunt from every page in an original tale, which is hard to put down.

Penelope witnessed her father torn to death and eaten by giant, black birds in her own bedroom as a young teen. Everyone says she's crazy, and her psychiatrists even try to convince her she killed her own father...although there is not murder scene, no body, and her father is even overseas, according to her mother and grandma. Penelope is doing her best to follow her family's advice and shove the unrealistic nightmare from her head, but it won't disappear, especially when the ghosts and birds begin to haunt her more and more.

Gothic fans will adore this read, especially since it's well-written and hard to put down. This is a dark tale with a main character, who dances on the edge of insanity. It taunts at ghosts, plays with magic, harbors more than a few dark secrets, and sings with murder. And all of this in a deliciously twisted manner, which still builds in first-love, inspiring sibling bonds, and teen troubles.

Penelope is an interesting character, who thinks little about her own future or aspirations, since she is tightly captured by a disturbing past. She wants to fight and break-free but is limited on what she can do. Her concern for her siblings is heart-warming and inspiring, as she never looses their well-being from her focus. So, while some of her decisions aren't the wisest, it's more than understandable and makes her a character to root for until the end...and what an ending it is.

Rounded up, this was an uniquely, twisted tale, which flows in a direction of its own. Some things were easy to see coming, but it's exactly this balance between predictable and hard-to-guess, which made it hard to put the book down. Romance is also there but falls subtle against the darker plot, leaving secrets and a dark agenda as the driving force. It's a gripping tale, which has been tightly woven, and takes the reader on a very different ride. ( )