Bone Gap

Review also on bookblubbs.wordpress.com:

Finn takes on the role of protagonist, inflicted with a strangeness about him, he is nicknamed as “Sidetrack,” “Moonface,” etc. He is a very handsome boy, and though the girls in his school may be very attracted to him, they are put off by his permanent spaced-out disposition. The brother, Sean, is a silent yet unmoving force. This brings about a certain kind of stubbornness, either for coping or the way his personality is shaped through the people in his life, but it does give a good dimension to his character. The town they live on is as normal as one might think, save for a very mystical aspect to it. We are introduced to two other main characters, but I suppose I'll save them for the actual book. They're fierce women and clever in their own right.

Without going into details, Bone Gap delivers and surprises to the delight of the reader. I went in expecting one kind of book and ending up with another. The world-building is not much. Set in the modern day, the real world has already been shaped for us. Ruby brings her own little spin to the world through fantasy elements, supernatural perhaps, and the townspeople she creates. Magical realism is subtle in the very beginning (save for the ending) and the author does a great job intertwining it in a way that is unexpected.

Nicely done.