Product Description

Something dark has awoken on the remote island of Lume

Jess is not pleased when her parents drag her off to live on the weird little island of Lume. But then she encounters an eerie presence in an abandoned cottage, and her anger turns to fear when it begins to lead her through a series of creepy riddles. As she slowly unravels the mysteries of Lume, she finds the writings of Sebastian, a boy who lived one hundred years ago and whose life contains unsettling reflections of her own. To her horror, the dangers he unearthed in 1894 now begin to threaten Jess and her family . . . and if Jess does not unlock the riddles in time, she may lose her mother forever.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1938523 in Books
• Published on: 2006-09-14
• Original language: English
• Dimensions: .93" h x 5.52" w x 7.98" l, .63 pounds
• Binding: Paperback
• 384 pages

From Amazon.com
A modern teen battles ancient evil aided by an invisible guide and an old diary in British author Christine Morton-Shaw’s The Riddles of Epsilon. While exploring the property around her mother’s ancestral home, fourteen-year-old Jessica finds a falling down cottage. Within resides Epsilon, a being that could be wraith, angel or demon. Through ghostly IM exchanges on her computer, Epsilon leads Jessica to an 1894 diary written by a boy named Sebastian Wren. Jessica is disturbed to discover that Sebastian’s actions seem to mirror her own, right down to sharing the same dream. Even more upsetting is the fact that Jessica’s mother seems to be slipping away mentally, just like Sebastian’s mother did many years ago. Epsilon tells Jessica that the only way to free her mother’s mind is to find a cursed relic that Sebastian failed to uncover. But can Jessica trust Epsilon? And if not, is she strong enough to break the age-old family curse on her own?

Morton-Shaw’s use of light and dark symbolism is eerily effective, and teen readers will be reminded of The Watcher in the Woods by Florence Engle Randall, or more recently, the spooky Midnighters series by Scott Westerfeld. While the writing doesn’t always hit the mark (Jessica’s characterization is slap-dash and stereotypical; primordial Epsilon often slips into modern slang), the mood of the book is nevertheless deeply creepy, and readers under twelve may find themselves sleeping with the lights on. (Ages 12 and up) --Jennifer Hubert

From School Library Journal
Grade 7-9–Jessica White, 14, is trying to adjust to her parents' abrupt move to the Isle of Lume (off the English coast) when she discovers the ghostly presence of Epsilon and the fascinating letters of Sebastian Wren, who lived 100 years earlier. Slowly the clues come together, revealing that the danger (or is it madness?) her mother faces appears to be the same thing that destroyed Sebastian's mother. Epsilon clearly has something for Jess to do, but he speaks only in riddles, poems, and haunting songs out of Lume's history. Morton-Shaw's first novel deals ultimately with an age-old curse and the battle for power between good and evil. Teen readers will identify with Jess's sense of isolation from friends, her chat-room visits, her attraction to the unknown, and the variations in her relationship with her parents (ranging from rebellion to overwhelming love and concern). Ultimately, though, she is just too brave and too clever to be believable. She faces fear and the unknown with a flinch but never weak-kneed. Some of the clues and riddles are too obvious; others are so obscure that even when Jess explains them, they are difficult to grasp. Finally, the conclusion, meant to be a jaw-dropper, instead comes across as what some might consider a cheap trick.–Melissa Moore, Union University Library, Jackson, TN
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Review
“The plot…will sweep readers into the action.” (The Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books )

“In the tradition of Ellen Raskin’s classic The Westing Game. A clever conundrum.” (Kirkus Reviews )

“Fantasy fans will need no persuading to try this promising debut novel from a fresh new talent.” (KLIATT )