Neverwas by Kelly Moore (review)

After altering time to save her younger brother and aunt (in Amber House, BCCB 11/12), sixteen-year-old Sarah Parsons wakes up to a different world entirely: her parents are happily married, her family is wealthy and politically involved, and her grandmother’s estate, Amber House, is Sarah’s house and a prized jewel of the South. In addition, the South is now a segregated nation called the American Confederation of the States, and it’s on the verge of revolution. The victorious Third Reich, dominating Europe since World War II, has now set its sights on the flailing ACS, placing Sarah and her family, supporters of the ACS’s next president, in danger. Amber House and its past hold the key to righting the world, but first Sarah must figure out her ancestors’ roles in history and what she is willing to sacrifice to restore the right version—or what she thinks is the right version—of reality. This second installment of the Amber House trilogy requires a bit more world-building and explanation than its predecessor, but the plotting remains sophisticated and intricate, with a careful and deliberate unspooling of events that manages to effectively portray how the smallest of actions might change the course of world events. Amber House as a setting is deliciously creepy, with ghost children running rampant, doors opening and closing at random, and hidden passages leading to even more secrets. This version of Sarah might trust the visions Amber House reveals to her, but readers of the previous installment will know there is something more sinister in the air and wait with bated breath for the conclusion.