Whitney Lancaster appears to be a typical high school senior with hobbies like dancing and visiting her grandma, or “Gams”, at her senior living facility. But Whitney has a particular gift – or curse, some might say. Whenever she sees dark, rippling clouds over someone’s head, she knows that death is coming for them. Despite the inability to really explain how she knows, she still tries to save the person’s life. That is, until a person she saves goes on to commit a horrific tragedy that ends eight young lives, injures others, and shatters an entire community. Since then, she’s desperately tried to move on and hide the role she played. But when she begins receiving ominous notes about the incident and her secret, she realizes that someone knows the truth and wants her to pay. The Darkness Rises by Stacy Stokes is a young adult thriller novel in which Whitney must stop her secret from being revealed, or else her worst nightmare becomes reality.
Book
Needless to say, Whitney’s senior year was nothing she had expected it to be. To lay low and perhaps punish herself for the tragedy, she quit her school’s dance team, spends the summer out of town, and lies to her family and friends. The only person who knows her talent is Gams, who also has the gift and guides Whitney in how to use it. But Gams begins to express regret regarding her guilt from her own past, just around the time the threats begin to pile up. And when the perpetrator gives her a deadline to confess, she is up against the clock to find out who it is and how to stop them. Thus continues Whitney’s journey of fear, paranoia, distrust, and survival. Because multiple people have means and a motive to exact revenge for what really happened last year. Even so, the clouds keep appearing over the heads of strangers and loved ones alike. And she can’t ignore them.
Review
Stokes crafts a story that approaches a controversial American issue with care while also adding a supernatural twist in The Darkness Rises. Not only that, but the narrative also challenges readers to ask themselves the hypothetical question – would you, should you continue saving lives if there’s a possibility of more loss and tragedy as a result? These existential challenges plus sophisticated storytelling and exploration into the human psyche are just some of the reasons why I highly recommend that readers add this to their reading lists.
Stacy Stokes joins the Cantina Book Club Podcast to talk about how she approached the heavy theme of her book and plans for the future. Keep an ear out for an upcoming episode and pick up a copy of The Darkness Rises, available now.
