Justine Musk's sophomore novel Uninvited is a paranormal fantasy set in the lives of a pair of Southern California high school siblings. It's a dark, gothic novel in a glitzy, sunny climate. Musk succeeds at crafting a plot that is just realistic enough to be thoroughly creepy even from a comfortable armchair.

The story centers on an otherworldly uninvited guest who roams Earth in discontent amassing souls. The winged, shape-shifting man entered the lives of Kelly and Jasper Ruland on the night that Jasper walked away as the sole survivor of a horrific car accident. Kelly's memory of the evening is hazy, but ever since the crash, the high school student has been alienated and depressed, turning to club drugs for relief. She yearns for a re-connection to her brother while she tries to sort out the ghostly happenings surrounding her family, leading to a climax in which she discovers the truth about the foggy night of the car crash.

Uninvited is a beautiful book to behold. I bought it because I am a fan of Justine Musk, but I daresay that the silvery tribal arabesque pattern on the cover might have attracted me on sight alone.