A big storm is going to hit New York, so Lilah’s dad wants her and her sister to go with their friend to their summer cabin in the mountains to ride it out.
Her father is away on business but will meet them at the cabin. After a harrowing journey to the cabin, they feel safer. But when Lilah doesn’t hear from her father, and then he doesn’t show at the cabin, she is worried. There’s also a strange car that seems to be following the girls.
Lilah is on medication to help her breathe. Without it she may die, and her dad is the one that gets it for her. And, of course, she runs out of medication. Lilah becomes very ill and wakes up in a hospital after being taken there by one of the kids in the town, Daniel. Turns out this isn’t just an ordinary hospital, it’s at a research facility, and Daniel’s mom is the head scientist. Lilah’s sister is being cared for by an older woman in the compound. So are they guests or prisoners? And where is Lilah’s dad? It has been broadcast on the news that he is wanted for shutting down the satellite system that predicts the weather thereby causing the storm to be much more devastating to the population of New York. Who can she trust?
The mystery surrounding the research facility, Lilah’s dad, and Lilah’s disease is intriguing and all linked together. As Lilah figures things out little by little, she realizes that she needs to escape. But where should she go? In the meantime, she has become romantically involved with Daniel and has begun to trust him.
Lilah becomes stronger as the story goes on. It’s easy to root for her. The writing is easy and the pacing is steady. I enjoyed getting lost in this tense story.
The ending, however, is disappointing. Once again, there isn’t an ending. You just turn the page and the book stops. I understand that publishers do this to sell books, but this is not an acceptable literary technique. There is no climax or denouement. Nothing has been resolved. Every time I have to write a review when a book ends like this, I tell myself not to rant too much – but I can’t help it. I can’t stand it when a book isn’t a book – you need the rest of the series.
So, while I enjoyed The Stellow Project quite a bit, the ending left such a bad taste in my mouth. I really want to know what happens to Lilah, but I’m too angry to care right now. I’d suggest waiting until all the books are released to read The Stellow Project. I’ll recommend this to my students, but I’ll make sure they know about the cliffhanger ending.
ARC obtained from Library Media Connection Magazine
318 pages
Rating: 3.5/5
