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Trance
Kira is best friends with Brigid, a girl who has the strange ability to take someone's hand and visit the past lives of their ancestors.
When an accident kills Laney while Brigid was giving her a “reading,” Brigid becomes trapped in the past. Doctors think Brigid is in a coma but Kira knows she must find a way to save her. She discovers that the only way to pull Brigid out of the trance is to connect her to one of Laney’s blood relatives. The only problem? Laney was adopted. With the help of Laney’s family friend, Kira must track down the truth about Laney’s birth family before it’s too late.
This short novel is a high-interest, low-reading level book for teen readers who are building reading skills, want a quick read or say they don’t like to read!
When an accident kills Laney while Brigid was giving her a “reading,” Brigid becomes trapped in the past. Doctors think Brigid is in a coma but Kira knows she must find a way to save her. She discovers that the only way to pull Brigid out of the trance is to connect her to one of Laney’s blood relatives. The only problem? Laney was adopted. With the help of Laney’s family friend, Kira must track down the truth about Laney’s birth family before it’s too late.
This short novel is a high-interest, low-reading level book for teen readers who are building reading skills, want a quick read or say they don’t like to read!
128 pages, Paperback
Published August 19, 2025
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
December 16, 2024
When reading the description, I immediately realize that this was not my type of read, but I normally like Orca Sounding books so I gave it a shot.
It actually was good. Focusing on three girls and one of them has special powers. It was actually a clever idea and kind of fascinating.
This is a very short read, but interesting.
It actually was good. Focusing on three girls and one of them has special powers. It was actually a clever idea and kind of fascinating.
This is a very short read, but interesting.
July 25, 2025
Emotions run high as a girl's life hangs on the line and no one seems willing to help a best friend save her.
Laney's best friend, Brigid, has the ability to let her soul travel to the past and talk to the ancestors of people she's touching. She's long since embraced this ability, and Laney does her best to protect her while she uses these sessions to help others. During one such moment, disaster strikes, and the person Brigid is touching dies, leaving Brigid's soul stuck in the past and her body in a coma. The only way to save her is the touch of a blood relative of the person she was helping, but the person was seeking assistance because they wanted to discover, who their parents truly were due to an adoption. Add that Brigid's mother is a religious fanatic, who can't know of her daughter's powers or she'll consider her a demon, and the clock is ticking. Especially since Brigid's mother is dead set on euthanasia.
The book begins in a very grabbing way. Not only does the author make the abilities of Brigid, the friendship between the girls, and the danger of the situation clear immediately, the tension and desperation hit already a few pages in. That Laney can't fail in her attempt to save her friend's life is obvious and makes it so easy to root for. Plus, there's all sorts of drama and directions going on in the background, which she needs to discover and weave through. Brigid's mother barely appears in the novel, but the horrid ripples the woman causes feed palpable desperation. Teens will have no problem relating to this lack of control and power they have over parents, and the problem stubbornness can cause.
This is more of an emotional read than suspense, and the paranormal aspect, while interesting, happens as an undertone, since it has to do with her friend and not her. There's also a little romance direction, which works fine but wasn't necessary to the story...outside of the fact that romance is always heart-warming. Everything rounds off nicely and the story gives some food for thought in important and difficult themes, such as religious fanaticism, parent-child relations, and euthanasia. The plot does keep things rolling, and there are plenty of surprises. Everything works out a bit too simple to solve the issue, but not enough to ruin the story.
It's an interesting read, which addresses several important issues and adds enough tension to keep things interesting the entire way through.
Laney's best friend, Brigid, has the ability to let her soul travel to the past and talk to the ancestors of people she's touching. She's long since embraced this ability, and Laney does her best to protect her while she uses these sessions to help others. During one such moment, disaster strikes, and the person Brigid is touching dies, leaving Brigid's soul stuck in the past and her body in a coma. The only way to save her is the touch of a blood relative of the person she was helping, but the person was seeking assistance because they wanted to discover, who their parents truly were due to an adoption. Add that Brigid's mother is a religious fanatic, who can't know of her daughter's powers or she'll consider her a demon, and the clock is ticking. Especially since Brigid's mother is dead set on euthanasia.
The book begins in a very grabbing way. Not only does the author make the abilities of Brigid, the friendship between the girls, and the danger of the situation clear immediately, the tension and desperation hit already a few pages in. That Laney can't fail in her attempt to save her friend's life is obvious and makes it so easy to root for. Plus, there's all sorts of drama and directions going on in the background, which she needs to discover and weave through. Brigid's mother barely appears in the novel, but the horrid ripples the woman causes feed palpable desperation. Teens will have no problem relating to this lack of control and power they have over parents, and the problem stubbornness can cause.
This is more of an emotional read than suspense, and the paranormal aspect, while interesting, happens as an undertone, since it has to do with her friend and not her. There's also a little romance direction, which works fine but wasn't necessary to the story...outside of the fact that romance is always heart-warming. Everything rounds off nicely and the story gives some food for thought in important and difficult themes, such as religious fanaticism, parent-child relations, and euthanasia. The plot does keep things rolling, and there are plenty of surprises. Everything works out a bit too simple to solve the issue, but not enough to ruin the story.
It's an interesting read, which addresses several important issues and adds enough tension to keep things interesting the entire way through.
February 5, 2026
K.L. Denman’s Trance delivers a sharp, emotionally grounded supernatural mystery in a compact, accessible form exactly the kind of story that can turn hesitant readers into eager ones. At just 128 pages, the novel wastes no space, moving with urgency while still leaving room for genuine heart.
The premise is immediately compelling: Brigid can touch a hand and slip into the past lives of ancestors, a gift that feels more burden than blessing. When a reading goes wrong and a classmate dies, Brigid becomes trapped in a trance that doctors mistake for a coma. Only her best friend Kira understands the truth, and her determination to save Brigid drives the story with believable loyalty and fear.
Denman writes with admirable clarity, never talking down to her audience. The mystery of Laney’s adoption unfolds at a pace that invites reluctant readers in, while the themes friendship, responsibility, and the unseen weight of the past give the book surprising depth. The supernatural element is handled with restraint, keeping the focus on character rather than spectacle.
Trance succeeds because it respects its readers. It offers suspense without confusion, emotion without melodrama, and proof that a “quick read” can still carry lasting impact. This is an ideal bridge book for teens who think they don’t like novels and a satisfying one for those who already do.
The premise is immediately compelling: Brigid can touch a hand and slip into the past lives of ancestors, a gift that feels more burden than blessing. When a reading goes wrong and a classmate dies, Brigid becomes trapped in a trance that doctors mistake for a coma. Only her best friend Kira understands the truth, and her determination to save Brigid drives the story with believable loyalty and fear.
Denman writes with admirable clarity, never talking down to her audience. The mystery of Laney’s adoption unfolds at a pace that invites reluctant readers in, while the themes friendship, responsibility, and the unseen weight of the past give the book surprising depth. The supernatural element is handled with restraint, keeping the focus on character rather than spectacle.
Trance succeeds because it respects its readers. It offers suspense without confusion, emotion without melodrama, and proof that a “quick read” can still carry lasting impact. This is an ideal bridge book for teens who think they don’t like novels and a satisfying one for those who already do.
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May 5, 2025review forthcoming from Foreword Magazine July/Aug
September 4, 2025
A short novel with a good premise, but for me it fell halfway. I would have liked to see the story developed further.
July 14, 2026
Very interesting premise!
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews