Dark Poppy’s Demise by SA Partridge (Human and Rousseau), R125. ISBN: 9780798155441 - Jenna is sweet 16 and never been kissed.

 She is moody and dramatic and gets her only solace from the adventures of her online persona “Dark Poppy”.

Her family is a mess. Her crush started dating the popular girl at school.
Typical High School Musical plotline, right?

Wrong!

What starts out as a teenaged coming-of-age drama turns into a horror story that shocks one more because of the previously mundane plotline.

In the technological age, people can maintain anonymity and create their own personae, but this story is intriguing because the online relationship goes offline; with shocking consequences.

This eerie tale is a realistic account of how the desperate need to be loved can be detrimental.

I highly recommend this third novel by Cape Town author, SA Partridge, who won the I Am A Writer and MER Youth Prize 2008 awards for her previous work.

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