A search for her long-lost mother leads Sophia to a mysterious island where the mist hides supernatural secrets. Eighteen-year-old Sophia Novak grew up in foster care after her mother allegedly died when she was 3. But after a girl named Abby Ryder contacts her out of the blue asking questions about her connection to Bitter Rock--a remote island off the coast of Alaska and the site of several previous disappearances--Sophia talks her way into an internship studying birds at the island's research center. Upon arriving, she's immediately warned of the danger of going out in the mist. She teams up with Abby and Liam Kapoor, the son of one of the researchers, as they investigate myriad strange phenomena, from Sophia's reflection--which does not accurately match her--to the appearance of an ominous six-winged beast. Filled with chilling moments, Marshall's fantastically immersive narrative is peppered with documentary-style transcriptions of audio and video recordings--including flashbacks that slowly tease out the story of what happened the night Sophia's mother disappeared. Occasional interviews with paranormal researcher Dr. Ashford contain a thread that connects to Marshall's Rules for Vanishing (2019). Sophia is White; the supporting cast is broadly diverse. Beautifully haunting and sure to keep readers up all night. (Horror. 14-18) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Sophia Novak has always believed that her mother died trying to rescue her from the ocean when she was a little girl. But she's never been in the ocean. Then a strange phone call from a girl named Abby leads her to the remote Alaskan island of Bitter Rock. Shortly after her arrival, she meets Liam Kapoor, son of the lead researcher at the Landon Avian Research Center (LARC), and the mysterious Abby, and together they look for answers behind a series of bizarre disappearances plaguing the island. In time, the increasingly convoluted plot begins to resolve itself, and although the ending falls a bit flat, Marshall's (I Am Still Alive, 2018) atmospheric writing manages to hold it all together. Told in a series of prose chapters mixed with found documents and written confessions, this offers teen readers an engrossing journey that will appeal to fans of body horror and supernatural thrillers.

Sophia Novak, 18, believes that her mother, Joy, died in Montana 15 years ago, so when Abby Ryder, 17, calls asking about Joy's disappearance from Bitter Rock, Alaska, Sophia tells her she's mistaken. Then Abby emails a picture of Joy and three-year-old Abby standing on the island's shore. According to Abby--the ward of Dr. Andrew Ashford, who investigates "inexplicable phenomena"--Joy is not the first to vanish from Bitter Rock without a trace. Sophia, homeless after aging out of foster care, secures an internship at Bitter Rock's avian research center. Abby also finds an excuse to visit, and with the help of Sophia's boss's 18-year-old son, Liam Kapoor, the girls start searching for answers. Atmospheric writing and an abundance of genuine chills distinguish this spine-tingling work of existential horror from Marshall (Rules for Vanishing). Video transcripts and assorted ephemera documenting various experiences on the island--Joy's included--intersperse Sophia's narrative, adding dimension and stoking suspense. Aspects of the plot falter under scrutiny, but by and large Marshall delivers a disturbingly imaginative tale that is both deeply human and truly terrifying. Ages 14--up. Agent: Lauren Spieller, Triada US Literary.(Mar.)