Read + Review: Heartwood Box by Ann Aguirre

Araceli is a high school senior who is moved by her parents to live with her great aunt, Ottilie, in a small town located in New York. When she enters the house, she gets a strange feeling that somebody is watching her. The feeling dies down as she gets more comfortable living with her aunt. At school, people tell her stories about people disappearing and never being found. Curious, she digs into it and more people tell her that there is a secret lab deep into the woods. It is top secret and nobody knows what they do there. Araceli isn’t that concerned about it until her new friend, Eunsoo, goes missing while she is on her way to her house. She and her friends all investigate the lab and find some unpleasant information.

I liked the plot and suspicion. Araceli is an outgoing and extroverted person. She would do anything and everything to save her family and friends. Ottilie is caring. She isn’t fully aware of what Araceli is up to, but she does the best she can to care for her. Araceli’s friends were all helpful, but some of them did get in the way sometimes. I do wish I could get to see how Araceli’s life goes after this crazy experience.

I liked being able to see into Araceli’s mind and feel what she felt. There were some scary moments in the book that got my blood pumping. In the beginning, I didn’t like how Araceli was falling in love with someone from 1917. In the end, however, I loved how the author played it out!