The Riddles of Epsilon

May 2, 2005
With a title that may make readers think they are headed for a literary journey into the depths of the solar system, Morton-Shaw\x92s debut novel, written diary-style, instead delves into ancient mysteries and secrets (though not without some time travel touches). Jess White moves to the island of Lume with her artist parents after she gets expelled from school for alcohol and drug use. The 14-year-old communicates with her friend Avril via what she believes to be a \x93private\x94 chat room, yet Jess soon receives online messages from a stranger (whom she later discovers to be the titular Epsilon). Under his guidance, Jess finds an abandoned cottage and, buried within it, clues rendered in symbols. By deciphering several of these riddles, she unravels a sinister mystery that threatens her mother\x92s sanity

January 1, 2006
Fourteen-year-old Jessica moves to a remote English island and becomes embroiled in a supernatural fight between good and evil. The overlong fantasy, related entirely through diary entries and instant messages and consisting mostly of clues Jessica must solve, isn't always consistent but may find fans among fantasy lovers and riddle enthusiasts.

(Copyright 2006 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

August 1, 2005
Gr 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"

Copyright 2005 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.