Two sisters and an unfortunate accident begin this YA magical realism novel. Before long, strange murders are occurring in their quiet town and Flora, the sister who lives her life as "that girl" because of her unique skin markings, has tasked herself with solving the mystery.

The Lightning Tree is a unique, mildly dystopian style novel that moves with rapid fire and had me sucked in pretty quickly. It is a comfortable and accessible read with good writing and an interesting setting. The story reads a little on the younger YA side in some places, with some occasionally awkward dialogue, but overall is a great merge of the fantastical and contemporary. The book is the epitome of genre bender, also including facets of horror, paranormal, thriller, sci-fi, and a touch of romance. It is like nothing I have ever read.

There are a lot of serious topic woven into the plot, from ecological awareness to family dynamics. While I would have liked to see more exploration of some of these topics and fleshing out of the issues underneath, there is potential for these things to be addressed in further reads, as The Lightning Tree is the first in a trilogy. I do appreciate Fogelberg's ability to continue addressing normal teenage issues with the magical side of the story.

I devoured this book in two sittings and am curious to see how the trilogy continues. The ending is solid, but definitely leaves things ready for more exploration in book two. It isn't quite a cliffhanger, but there is a lot left unresolved and I'm here for it.

This book deserves a bit more attention and hype than it has thus far received. I will definitely be continuing the series. Fogelberg's imagination is a fun place to be.