Characterization is uneven: while Meggie is quite complex, others are caricatures of evil or mere sketches to supplement the cast. The plot is absurdly illogical and fraught with inconsistencies and coincidence. The whimsy of the prologue is jarring when juxtaposed with the violence and bitterness of the ensuing chapters. This discordant mixture of fantasy and mystery is composed of too many elements that never blend successfully. In her efforts to investigate, she finds herself a victim in the fiendish plot of three old men (one her former high-school teacher) to restore their youth through the transplants of young hearts. Sixteen years later she finds herself caught in a web of terror as her teenage acquaintances are kidnapped and/or gruesomely murdered in woods that she frequents. Grade 7-10 Meggie was blessed as an infant when a tarantula paid regular visits to her cradle to spin stories for her education and entertainment.
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