I absolutely love this author. I can't say it enough.
Back when I read his debut, Reverie, I.. like I'm sure many of you out there, knew he was something special. His stories are not only original, they're so full of unique concepts that they give me that opening page excitement all the way through. Honestly, he's so good that it's impossible to really retain HOW good he is between releases.
This one starts off with a bang. It's such an intense opening scene that I'm hard-pressed to think of another book that can meet that first page 'wow' factor. While media has taught me to assume most wild occurrences in stories have simpler explanations, La Sala's stories go against the grain. His explanations are never simple. They're complex, richly layered creations.
Mars is a deeply likeable character dealing with a lot of heavy emotions. In addition to the loss of his sister, he's got his own fair share of past trauma to carry, and some seriously unfair expectations regarding social appearances due to his parents' high profile careers.
The moment he gets to Aspen, both those emotions and the atmosphere around him just seems to become even heavier. The behavior of those around him feel so wrong, that it adds to the tension you feel as a reader, knowing what you do about his intentions going in. There's nothing quite like that feeling of dread that you get because you know something is coming.
If you love a good mystery with a serious case of the creeps and a touch of the unexplainable, this is the book for you. I highly recommend any of La Sala's work.
(I received this title as an ARC. All opinions are mine and freely given.)