Slice of Cherry

Publishers Weekly

Smalltown secrets meet the supernatural in Reeve's thematic follow-up to Bleeding Violet, also set in the bizarre town of Portero, Tex. Kit and Fancy Cordelle are the teenage daughters of the infamous Bonesaw Killer, ostracized and dismissed for having the same sociopathic genes. That's okay, they have each other, and they share everything, from secrets to a taste for killing. When they find a portal into another world—a way to do whatever they want to their victims without being caught—they indulge in some recreational mayhem, ridding the town of assorted undesirables. Then they get mixed up with the Turner brothers, sons of their father's last victim, and soon the sisters' unity is threatened by something new: growing up. Can love, whether sisterly or romantic, flourish in a town full of monsters and mysteries? Budding sexuality wars with killer instincts as things get messy. With so many disparate elements in play, it's easy to lose track of the narrative, but at heart, this is a memorable and utterly twisted coming-of-age story that reads like Dexter for (mature) teens, soaked in the paranormal—and blood. Ages 14–up. (Jan.)

From the Publisher

"Brutally beautiful — not like anything else you'll read this year, or any other."

- Cassandra Clare, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Clockwork Angel

Reeves, Dia

Slice of Cherry

Simon Pulse, 2011 [512p] R* Gr. 9-12

Always close, sisters Kit and Fancy bond even more tightly after the Bonesaw Killer, their father, is convicted of multiple murders. They rarely even notice the fact that they are outsiders (even in the wacked-out town of Portero, where portals let in monsters and the townsfolk are never surprised by anything) as they fill their days with increasingly violent acts. Those acts seem to feed something in each of them, even though they also rid the town of bad guys (though occasionally their standards slip to include someone who could, perhaps, have done just fine with a stern talking to rather than . . . death). In come two brothers with enough secrets of their own to rival the girls’, and suddenly romance mixes with gore, and love threatens to separate the sisters. The use of entries in Fancy’s dream journal as chapter starts is a bit contrived, but it nevertheless works well to add insight into Fancy’s brain, revealing her to be less obviously violent than Kit but much more disturbed overall. While the girls quietly use a parallel universe to perform horrific murders, their mother, a strong, proud woman who both loves her girls and occasionally fears them, keeps them in check and attempts, in her own eloquently mysterious ways (some supernatural, some strict maternal) to save her girls from whatever it is they need saving from. Reeves’ women are stunning—brazening through life on a mixture of sexuality, vulnerability, instability, and brilliance that serves them well as they encounter monsters literal and figurative, internal and external. Fans of Reeves’ first novel, Bleeding Violet (BCCB 3/10), will relish a second, though no more complete, glimpse at the deeply fascinating town of Portero and its bizarre, memorable residents. AS

—Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, January 2011

"Twisted and creepy, this book is not for the faint of heart. Reeves sets no boundaries for herself, as readers witness the strange mind of a serial killer, possibly changing all perceptions of love and murder. Horrifyingly beautiful, the small, monster-driven town of Portero is rendered in the most captivating way. " —Romantic Times

"Reeves returns to her fictional East Texas town of Portero for a tale more gruesome, disturbing and shamelessly enjoyable than Bleeding Violet...Somehow, in this orgy of gore, a touching coming-of-age tale emerges, as the two emotionally stunted young women connect with community. The warm, fuzzy moral—that it's fine to be a serial killer as long as you're doing it to help others—will delight and entertain readers mature enough to appreciate that fictional morals needn't always coincide with real-life didacticism. This gleeful page-turner is a winner." - KIRKUS

"This is a memorable and utterly twisted coming-of-age story that reads like Dexter for (mature) teens, soaked in the paranormal—and blood."—Publishers Weekly

Children's Literature - Amanda MacGregor

Fancy and Kit are the daughters of the notorious Bonesaw Killer, and apparently bloodlust runs in the family. When a prowler breaks into the house, the girls keep him in their cellar and repeatedly cut him and stitch him back up. They view other people as plastic, fake, and lifeless—mere playthings. Kit initially seems the more twisted of the two, but Fancy admits she would happily murder someone if she knew she would not get caught. It turns out there is a way for this to happen. Their odd town of Portero, Texas, is home to monsters, the un-dead and magic portals. On Juneteenth, Fancy asks a dead relative to help her find a safe way to get rid of the people they kill. Fancy discovers how to open a portal to "the happy place" where she can make anything happen and can safely hide the bodies. The girls use their gift for killing to help the town, taking out bullies, rapists, and predators. When they begin to spend time with Gabriel and Ilan, the sons of their father's last murder victim, Fancy and Kit start to drift apart, even as all four unite in their dark impulses. This macabre book will appeal to fans of magical realism, horror, and thrillers. Despite all of the gore and the fact that most of the characters come off, at some point or another, as lunatics, the heart of the story is about sisters trying to find their way through adolescence. This unique book is definitely for mature readers who do not mind gruesome scenarios, and for those who like their paranormal stories to have a seriously twisted edge. Reviewer: Amanda MacGregor

VOYA - Jane Harper

Kit and Fancy Cordelle are sisters growing up in a small town, but Portero, Texas, is no ordinary small town, and Kit and Fancy are no ordinary girls. Their father is a notorious serial killer, now in prison and awaiting execution. His daughters have inherited his desire to kill, but with a twist: they want to kill to punish evil people they feel deserve to die. But how to do it without getting caught? One day, during a picnic in celebration of Juneteenth, Fancy is visited by the spirit of their ancestor, Cherry du Haven, a legendary slave who is said to come back and grant wishes to children. Cherry sends Fancy on a quest to find the invisible doors in the magical town of Portero—doors that lead to an alternate dimension, a "happy place." As it turns out, what happens in the happy place stays in the happy place, making it the perfect spot for the sisters to lure their victims and satisfy their urge to kill without evidence or consequences. Kit and Fancy's torture/killing spree is nonstop, grisly, and gory. If the characters and their relationships were more developed, it might be compelling. Instead, the lack of depth in the plot and motivation in the characters makes it difficult to become engaged. This blend of horror and fantasy may appeal to more sophisticated horror fans. Reviewer: Jane Harper

School Library Journal

Gr 9 Up—Kit and Fancy Cordelle, the only children of the terrifying Bonesaw Killer of Portero, know that it's only a matter of time before they follow in his footsteps. Their dad was caught and imprisoned due to forensic evidence, but his teenage daughters are determined not to fall into the same trap. With careful planning and control, Fancy knows that she can make sure nothing ties them to the crimes, as long as her impulsive sister avoids a public killing spree. Scouting out the perfect location, she retrieves the missing crank to the old kinetoscope that lived in her father's killing cellar. The old motion-picture device transports Fancy to a brightly colored world where she and her sister can kill those who deserve it and keep the bodies away from the police. However, even as the sisters embark on their murderous spree, forces are tearing them apart. Kit has become obsessed with Gabriel, the youngest son of the last man their father killed, while Fancy has attracted the attention of Gabriel's brother, Ilan. Reeves, experimenting with a much darker side of magical realism, definitely has plenty of ideas. The vividly created fantasy world in which buried victims grow into beautiful trees is fully engaging. Though the oddball humor is somewhat lacking, Kit and Fancy are likable enough. While the dual boyfriends feels shoehorned in as an unnecessary contrivance, it fits within the overall small-town mindset. Mostly without gore, the subject matter is enough to raise an eyebrow or two in any community. Fans of Showtime's Dexter series will be thoroughly engrossed, though this dark horror novel will never be a staple in most collections.—Chris Shoemaker, New York Public Library

Kirkus Reviews

Reeves returns to her fictional East Texas town of Portero for a tale more gruesome, disturbing and shamelessly enjoyable thanBleedingViolet(2009). Sisters Kit and Fancy are so close they're like the same person. They don't need anyone but each other—convenient, as they've been shunned by the townsfolk since their serial-killer father was arrested. A home invasion starts the sisters on a spree of magically enhanced torture and killing, focused on rapists, domestic abusers and would-be murderers. Soon, previously aloof neighbors hail the girls as public servants. Meanwhile, their sisterly closeness erodes: At a Juneteenth celebration, Fancy discovers newly murderous magical powers, while Kit shows an increasing interest in boys instead of murder. Somehow, in this orgy of gore, a touching coming-of-age tale emerges, as the two emotionally stunted young women connect with community. The warm, fuzzy moral—that it's fine to be a serial killer as long as you're doing it to help others—will delight and entertain readers mature enough to appreciate that fictional morals needn't always coincide with real-life didacticism. This gleeful page-turner is a winner.(Urban fantasy. YA)