Showing posts with label supernatural. Show all posts
Showing posts with label supernatural. Show all posts

Wednesday, April 30, 2014

Liv, Forever by Amy Talkington

Soho Teen, 2014

Liv Bloom is an excellent art student trapped with a family she doesn’t think cares for her.  When she get an opportunity to attend  Wickham Academy, one of THE most prestigious boarding schools in the US, she jumps at the chance of not only leaving behind her family, but also going forward into a world filled with paint, oils, canvases and a dream studio. 

Liv is a student on scholarship and this becomes immediately apparent as soon as she steps foot on campus.  While everyone else was born with a silver spoon in their mouths, Liv has lived with a plastic one in hers.  She isn’t going to let that bother her though.  She figures she’ll fit in soon enough, but the first day in the cafeteria leaves her sitting with the weirdo loner Gabe Nichols, another scholarship student.  Life truly begins for Liv when she catches the eye of Malcolm Astor, the IT guy on campus.  When Gabe mumbles about the dangers of dating Malcolm, Liv ignores him…which will cause her to lose her life.

Now Liv is caught not only between two worlds, but also between two boys – one she loves and misses and the other who can hear her.  With the help of the two, Liv wants to find out who is behind the murder and why they’re covering it up as an accident.  Little do they know that the truth is more horrible that any of them realized with arms that reach long into the history of Wickham Academy. ..

What made this book stand out for me is the approach Amy Talkington takes to the supernatural that isn’t encountered on a normal basis.  That one spin will make you gasp, literally, in surprise.  Talkington writes about hope, romance, murder and mystery, all in one very clever and entertaining YA read.  Her characters, from the past and present, are not only syncopated within certain time periods, but interact for and with each other to move the mystery forward and the pages turning.  Readers will get a glimpse of the good life of wealthy kids, but also get to see the dirty rotten parts the characters are trying to hide as well.  Great for all readers, this will also attract reluctant readers because of the pace of the story.  Kudos on her first book!  Recommended JH/HS.

Friday, November 22, 2013

The Coldest Girl in Coldtown by Holly Black

Little, Brown and Co, 2013

Tana woke up after a night of partying in the bathtub.  Little did she know the tub is what saved her....

Sundown parties are popular now these days.  The danger and the thrill is what keeps teens up all night partying until dawn.  It could be considered a trend, now that Cold Towns have sprung up throughout the nation and world.  There are pre-requisites to a successful party: garlic, rosewater or holy water; stakes and crosses (although these really don't have an effect at all).  But at the party Tana went to, somehow the vampires made their way in, killing and gorging on everyone, creating a massacre.

There are vampires and then there are those well-known ones that go down in history.  The first vampire to begin infecting people was Caspar Morales.  His harmless forays into the human world to feed but not kill started the contagion and the quarantined cities, Cold Towns, the infected and the turned were placed in.  There were other vampires with reputations as well, including the Thorn of Istra, a much sought-after vampire that was supposedly caged for hundreds of years and went mad...thus becoming very very dangerous...

What happens when a person gets bitten?  Contrary to popular belief, they don't turn into vampires; instead, they go cold.  Dead but alive...in a limbo state between humanity and a soulless eternity.  It takes 40 days of complete isolation, away from any temptation to drink the blood of a human to shake off the cold.  Only a few make it...most succumb to the temptation and become new vampires, the most unstable kind because their thirst knows no bounds.

And now, Tana is heading to the first Cold Town ever created along with both a vampire named Gavriel and the guy at the party (Aidan) that Gavriel turned cold.  She's flirting with danger and knows the only thing she can do to save Aidan and get Gavriel out of her life is to go to Cold Town and try to survive.

But once inside, who can she trust?  Going into a Cold Town is like living in a parallel universe.  People are walking around with shunts in their veins, hoping to party with the undead.  The vampires revel in the crowd along with humans knowing there is a balance of power between the living and the dead.  But someone in the crowd is out to destroy this delicate balance to create chaos and get revenge.  And Tana finds herself in the middle of it all....

I'll admit, this is the first time in a long time that I've picked up a horror/supernatural book, especially about vampires, and thoroughly enjoyed it.  Forget about the dark and sensual romance, this book has a slightly savage side, filled with deep and dark emotions that run rampant in all of the characters in the book. Black not only creates symbiotic relationships, but carries this theme into other aspects of her book, including society, the infection and struggle to overcome it, and the civilized/uncivilized worlds the characters find themselves in.  It's this power struggle that pushes the reader into the darker passages of the plot all the way through the book, hoping for a satisfying finale and gasping at the end, wanting more more MORE!  This book aligns itself more toward the adult novels of Anne Rice, so if you have readers who want more vampire and a little less romance, hand them this book. Is this a stand-alone or a series?  Hmmmm.....well done, Ms. Black!
Highly recommended for high school collections.





Tuesday, August 27, 2013

Paper Valentine by Brenna Yovanoff

Razorbill, 2013

Hannah can't seem to get away from the tragedy of losing her best friend, Lillian.  Friends since they were little, Hannah saw what was slowly happening to Lillian, but never tried to help her.  Six months ago she died, and everyday since then, Hannah has to live with the ghost of what was her best friend...literally.At first, it was shocking, but both of them seem to have a symbiotic relationship with their newfound "friendship." 

Now, it's summer and a deathly hot one in the city of Ludlow where Hannah lives with her mother, step-father and sister.  She spends her time working for her aunt Kelly and trying to keep up with her twelve year old sister Ariel.  But it's a strange kind of summer....especially with the chokehold of a horribly hot season ahead of her.

Hannah prefers to spend time alone more than with the group of friends she and Lillian hung around with.  As the alpha in the group, Lillian took control, but with her gone, they've all changed, but not Hannah.  She doesn't take part of the corporate teen look and basicallydoesn't let anything get to her.  It takes a sensational story in the news; a glimpse of hidden photos at work, and a strange boy to change Hannah's summer into one she wasn't ready to have.

A murdered girl is found in Muncy Park, surrounded my cheap plastic toys everywhere.  In her hand is a clumsily made Valentine.  Although this frightens most people in town, it's nothing when compared to their reaction of a second victim, staged the same way.  Then a third....

Hannah is drawn deeper into the murder through coincidence and circumstance, and the more she knows, the closer the killer gets to....

Part supernatural, party mystery, Brenna Yovanoff spins a tale of intrigue set on a foundation of friendships and relationships.  Hannah is definitely the central character, but she wears so many hats (from sister, to daughter; friend to enemy; stranger to family) that what could be a flat plot turns into one with many different paths that will ultimately lead to the unexpected inevitable.  Good girl gone wrong or wrong girl looking for good?  The reader innately knows the outcome, but it will come as a surprise nonetheless.  Great book for readers who enjoy both genres. 

Thursday, March 7, 2013

Fateful by Claudia Gray

HarperTeen, 2011

Tess knows she wants more out of life, but also knows there's a slim chance that will ever happen.  So she's  content for now with her position at Moorcliffe as an attendant to Irene, the only daughter of the wealthy Lisle family.  But one errand will open the door to another life, one more dark and sinister than Tess could have imagined.

Trying to get back to the manor as quickly as she can, Tess realizes something is following her, but the intervention of a handsome stranger creates a barrier that saves her.  When she turned around, she saw the feral eyes of a large black wolf, ready to hunt....

For days afterward, all Tess can think about is the handsome stranger who saved her life.  His cryptic warnings of danger cannot overcome the thoughts that lurk in Tess's mind.  But the drudgery of her job working for the terrible Lady Regina dispels those thoughts....until Tess realizes she'll be part of the Lisle family going to America.

Tess's excitement at the prospect of traveling by ship to America is full of promise, as well as the hope she can escape her servanthood and find herself in a new country.  The excitement grows even more when she also spots the handsome Alec, who saved her that fateful night.  But there is another sinister, dark man also watching her every move....

And so everyone prepares to board the Titanic one very fateful day. 

I picked this book up from a recommendation of a student, who loved this book.  So I set aside the analytical librarian book reviewer part of it and ready it like a teen girl.  Then I understood why she loved it so much. 
The characters Gray creates are vibrant, but more than that, the relationships, both troubling and romantic, draws the reader in.  What a genius idea of pairing supernatural beings like werewolves with a historic disaster like the Titanic.  It's a supernatural historical fiction plot I've never heard of. And that's what the hook is....The reader is left with the question of who survives and who dies.  Teens who enjoy supernatural romance will eat this book up and would be a nice addition among all the vampires, ghosts, angels and ghouls.

COMMON CORE PAIR: Iceberg Right Ahead!: the tragedy of the Titanic by Stephanie McPherson.  Minneapolis: 21st Century Books, 2012

Monday, January 10, 2011

Hold Me Closer, Necromancer by Lish McBride

Sam....college dropout, hamburger flipper.  His best friends work with him at Plumpy's and they include Ramon, the connoisseur of burger flipping, Frank who wants to please everyone, and Brooke, the hot chick Frank's eyes follow whenever he gets a chance.  Just a typical burger joint in Seattle.  All it takes is a game of potato hockey and a knocked out light on a Mercedes to change Sam's world from normal to paranormal, to say the least.

Sam has always been an outsider.  He's never fit in, felt right in a crowd....but he's used to it by now.  But when Douglas Montgomery comes into his life, he has to find a way to find himself, especially after discovering he's not just a drop out hambuger flipper whose mother loves herbs and potions.  After struggling through several sources, Sam finds out his mother is a real witch...literally...and Sam is a necromancer - he can communicate and bring back the dead.  And Douglas Montgomery, most powerful necromancer in the Seattle area, wants that power. 

With the help of a ragtag bunch of friends (including a talking head) and some unusual acquaintances (we're talking witches, hounds of hell, fey, a seer and a Harbinger) Sam has seven days to find out if he'll apprentice under the dark and dangerous tutelage of Douglas or try to go back to his normal world, if normal is what you'd call it after the powerful Montgomery kills his family and friends.  Really, what choice do you have?

What a riot to read!  Lish McBride has done a fine job of blending a supernatural story with humor and tongue-in-cheek comebacks.  If the title doesn't send a message, then the chapters will.  Taking from song lyrics like "She's a Lady" to "Sweet Child o' Mine" to "Don't Fear the Reaper," McBride has created a quick read with quick wit.  Readers will enjoy reading about Sam's life from Plumpy's to his messed up, beaten up forays into the unknown world of magic and the power of the Council.  Humorous horror....I've read a few and this one doesn't disappoint.  Recommended.

Tuesday, December 7, 2010

Friday, December 3, 2010

Paranormalcy by Kiersten White

Evie lives an interesting life. She's lived in the foster care system for as long as she can remember, until the night she met a vamp in the cemetery. And from there, her life has been surrounded by paranormalcy.


Now, at 16, her life revolves around bagging, tagging, and neutralizing those creatures that go bump in the night, keeping humanity safe from their deadly grip. Evie has the ability to see through glamours. What a normal human would see, she can see the rotting corpse of a hag, vampire, or zombie underneath.

Through her work at the IPCA (International Paranormal Containment Agency), she's neutralized, or "neutered" a vampire named Steve, become best friends with a mermaid named Alisha, works with a werewolf named Jaques, and is trying to avoid Reth, whom she had a brief and dangerous fling with. The only real person in her life is Raquel, the head of IPCA, but Evie still feels alone and lonely. At least she has her normalcy to rely on.

But something strange is going on. Evie keeps hearing whispers in her dreams, which she doesn't understand. Then she meets the most extraordinary paranormal - a cute shapeshifter named Lend. He's broken into the IPCA to information, but about what or whom? And then the murders of paranormals begins...someone or something is killing them. The IPCA needs to find out who's behind the murders before it becomes worse. Is Lend behind the murders or is it someone on the inside of IPCA?

If you have readers who enjoy YA romance, this is one they'll enjoy. How about those who want romance and the supernatural? Again, this is a great choice. White creates unusual but unforgettable characters of the paranormal, from the evil but beautiful fairies to the enigmatic newcomer who's part liquid, part shapeshifter, to a teenage heroine who yearns for the normal life of a teenager and only wants the life like the characters on her favorite television teen drama. White writes about the dark world of those things that go bump in the night with a light, witty hand. Readers will be drawn to this one. Drama, action, romance and humor all wrapped up between the covers of a great YA read.

Wednesday, October 6, 2010

Prophecy of the Sisters by Michelle Zink

Here's my newest trailer - this was published in 2009 but the sequel is now out.  Sometimes I review a book in advance and have to wait a year or more for the sequel...not this time!!
Enjoy!

This is also posted on my Schooltube channel if you'd like to embed it:

Thursday, September 30, 2010

Bruiser by Neal Shusterman

Tennyson doesn’t really like the Bruiser. He’s weird, standoffish, and just a huge bulk of nothing. But when his sister Bronte begins dating the Bruiser, that’s when Tenny’s had enough. The only way to break them up is to confront the guy, and that’s what Tennyson plans to do.

But his confrontation with the Bruiser isn’t what he expected. Brewster, aka Bruiser, doesn’t fight back, even though he’s big enough to pound Tennyson down. But it’s what Tennyson sees that makes him realize there’s more than meets the eye. Brewster’s back is covered with scars, bruises, bump, blisters…like someone has beaten the living daylights out of him….

And that’s where the story truly begins. Brewster and his little brother Cody live with his Uncle Hoyt, a mean drunk who works a steamroller at night and stays home during the day. Uncle Hoyt keeps Brew and Cody close, not wanting any outsiders in their “circle” and when Tennyson and Bronte step over that boundary, they don’t quite understand what they stepped into….

Strange coincidences – Tennyson’s bruised knuckles from lacrosse disappear, Bronte’s sprained ankle feels instantly better….and when they’re around Brew, they notice his red, injured knuckles and the limp he now has. Cody knows the secret and knows that his big brother would never let anything hurt him. Now Bronte and Tennyson know his secret as well, but they don’t know all of it or the ramifications it will have not only on Brewster himself, but on their family and friends as well.

If your family is falling apart; if you want so badly to be the next MVP; if you want to make a person’s life better by showing them true friendship….how far will you go? But more importantly, would you be willing to sacrifice one for the sake of all? Which hurts more – living in your own bubble without any meaningful relationships or caring for the people around you and making whatever hurts them your own?

I know I have an amazing book in my hands when I read through it in one sitting, but don’t want to read it all because then it’ll be over. Such is the case with Neal Shusterman’s newest YA novel. This isn’t just about child abuse, but something much deeper, much more emotional, and very thought-provoking. What seems innocent and helpful at first can be deadly and dangerous if put in the wrong hands. Shusterman not only wields a powerful tale told in different voices of the main characters, but also works magic on the reader by pulling them in on a rollercoaster ride of emotional and edge of your seat situations. I also loved his subtle use of vocabulary enhancement as well…something all readers get when they read, perhaps more so with this book. Excellent read for all secondary grade levels.

Monday, August 16, 2010

Immortal Beloved by Kate Tiernan


Nastasya has seen it all, done it all. She's lived a hundred lives and goes on to see another day. Tonight, she's with her friends Incy, Mal, Katy and Boz for a night of clubbing...anything to dull her reality. But then she witnesses the true degradation of an immortal, and she doesn't like what she sees, not only in what Incy did, but how she reacted to it...

Nastasya and her friends are immortals - people who have lived hundreds of years and are eye-witnesses to all the world events mere humans can only read about. Nastasya hides her true beginnings even from herself and makes sure she doesn't attach herself emotionally to anyone or anything, except the amulet and scar she carries with her constantly. She and Incy have been inseparable for a very long time, but now she knows she must cut her ties. She remembers a woman named River whom she met over a hundred years ago and the invitation given to her then. And that's where Nastasya goes for safety.

But her lifestyle and the way things are run by River, Asher and other immortal teachers at River's Edge are not mixing very well. Not only that, but she feels that the other students there don't like or even want her around, particularly Nell and Reyn. And what she thought would be a haven for her to turn away from the dark side may actually be more dangerous. Someone is after her, but what for? Why? The more Nastasya learns about her past and the power she has, the more she is being hunted. Or is that the real reason?

What a great book for YA readers who enjoy reading fantasies that are dark, mysterious, and romantic. The characters are not vampires, but true immortals who struggle with something far larger than a simple person can concieve. From London and around the world to a small town in Massachusetts, the lives of the immortals, especially Nastasya, are revealed slowly but carefully, leaving the reader wanting to know more about her past as well as her present. Tiernan does an excellent job of weaving Nastasyas two stories through a series of flashbacks and present day that makes the reader understand not only who she is, but what she's fighting against. This will be a series of books, and after reading the first one, I'm already ready for the sequel! Due out September 2010.

Thursday, July 29, 2010

Book trailer: The Replacement by Brenna Yovanoff

So, I picked this galley up at ALA and read it from Texas to Illinois when I went on a family vacation....and I LOVED IT! In fact, I loved it so much, I enlisted the help of my father-in-law to help put together some farm implements he has laying around for most of the background video in this trailer. We left it up in the backyard for a few days...hope anyone who came up to his farm didn't think we were joining a weird club or something. I put my iphone to good use on this one : ) Anyway, hope you enjoy this!


Use this link if you want to embed it : )

Friday, July 16, 2010

The Replacement by Brenna Yovanoff


**this will be out September 2010

Malcolm lives in the quiet town of Gentry, where it's safe and normal...but only on
the outside...
Malcolm has always known that he was different. He can't stand the iron smell of blood, and even touching the metal makes him deathly ill. His father, the local pastor, knowns his son is different, especially because Malcolm cannot step onto sacred ground without his skin burning. He's not of Them...the normal humans in town, and his only goal in life is to stay under the radar, become unseen and invisible.

But his world is shattered when Tate, a girl in his high school looks at him and begs for help. Her sister Natalie has died, but it isn't Natalie - she was switched
with something inhuman, ugly, deformed. And Tate seems to know that Malcolm the
unusual may know something about it.

Not quite human, Malcolm himself was switched at birth with the real human Malcolm. Now, the real one is gone and this revenant who inexplicably lived has to take on a new role, a new skin...and new revelations not only about him, but about his family
as well. And his past comes to reality when he opens the door to the House of Mayhem
that lies under the slag heap and speaks with the Morrigan for the first time.

Now a battle rages between the Houses of Mayhem and Misery, and Malcolm, not quite human but not quite the Others, is caught in the middle and must make a decision to go with what he knows or dispel traditions that has kept his town safe and bountiful. But can he do the opposite of what he's been taught or continue living a
life of lies and deceit, along with everyone else in town?

Yovanoff has written an intriguing tale of faerie and humanity that is sure to grab not only the attention of those genre lovers, but those who haven't read many urban
fantasies. It captures your attention from the great cover to the story that weaved so well throughout the book, intermixing characters' lives and their own stories into one....Only one person of three that call themselves the Merry Sisters of Fate (and includes Maggie Stiefvater, author of Shiver and Linger), YA readers will pick up and devour this one.

Sunday, March 28, 2010

This is one book that was finger-lickin' good!!!



Just when I thought there was a stopping point, nay, a saturation point of how much YA lit one could read, along comes a book that cleansed my palate.

Enter Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Killer by Seth Grahame-Smith.

The author of the book lives in the most quaint town in New York. His passion of writing gave way to other more important things, like marriage and children, and he soon finds himself the sole employee of a small five-and-dime store. No one really comes by, except for wealthy Henry, who buys fifty bucks worth of things and goes on. But one night, something extraordinary happens when Henry delivers a treasure trove. Ten lost journals of Abraham Lincoln, which chronicles not only his life since childhood, but his involvement with the dark side...and his first encounter with vampires...

Read like a true biography of Abraham Lincoln, the reader becomes intrigued in the smooth segues between true history and absolute fiction. It's seamless and it's simply fascinating to read. From his early childhood in Kentucky to all the moves afterwards that Thomas Lincoln took his family through, the journals chronicle everything historical that happened to Abraham. His mother's death wasn't through disease, but by vampiric intervention. It details the historically arguable fact of his move to New Salem and his first true love, Ann Rutledge, who also died because of sinister political vampire motivation. Was Jefferson Davis a supporter of the Southern Vampire and did he actually try to kill Lincoln? What about John Wilkes Booth? Human or vengeful vampire?

The premise of this book is why the Civil War was actually fought, but the origination of vampires in America begins with John White in 1587 and his colonists who disappeared with only CRO carved on a tree. Henry Sturges was there in the beginning and is the man who gave the journals to the author working the five-and-dime. He was the guiding force behind Abe's career as a vampire killer and the force behind Abe's presidential nomination and win.

Grahame-Smith second book with this novel approach was more to my taste because of the historical nature of the book itself. What a keen and sharp mind this novelist had to create and capture what has been written by countless biographers of Abraham Lincoln's life and weave in fictional details that coincides perfectly with reality.

Could this be one teens would pick up? Absolutely! Pair it with James Swanson's Licoln's Killer, a great YA non-fiction book and you have a pair that's a winner. I am definitely putting this on my booktalk list! And the cherry on top? The "photos" interspersed within the novel as well as the cover....

Tuesday, February 2, 2010

Trailer time!! The Dark Devine by Bree Despain

Here's one I just finished. I'm trying to get more creative not only with background, but with fonts now too. I've come light years than since I first began...

Saturday, January 23, 2010

Lockdown: Escape from the Furnace by Alexander Gordon Smith


It's a dark world teens in England live in now. There's a no tolerance policy, and Alex knows this now. If he could go back in time, he wouldn't have done it...best so stupid...
It was a set-up but he didn't see it coming. What started out as petty thieving turned into bigger and better jobs with more money to be had. Alex knew what would happen, but he did is anyway. And that's what landed him in the Furnace.

What is the Furnace? It's unlike any penitentiary ever built. More secure that Super Max, scaries that your worst nightmare...built three miles below the surface, this is a place teen criminals go when they're caught, or more often than not, falsely accused. And it'll be the last place many of the prisoners will see before they die, if not through the aggressions of other inmates, than through the furless and skinless hell hounds, or even worse...the prison guiards themselves...

But with all secure facilities, there's always a tiny crack in the facade. And Alex has found it. But will it be too late for him? Can he even survive the unthinkable escape he has conjured up?

For those teens who love the gory and nightmarish qualities found in popular YA series fiction, they'll relish every detail and word of this first book by Gordon Smith. The author caputres in rich detail the hell and horror found in the pages as well as the emotional and mental torture the inmates must overcome in The Furnace. If you have fans of Shan's Demonata series, you need toadd this to your collection ASAP. Great read.

Thursday, December 17, 2009

Shiver book trailer

Enjoy! I'll post this on schooltube later...just wanted to get it out as a preview : )

Tuesday, December 1, 2009

Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater


Grace remembers a certain episode in her life when she was little in Mercy Falls, Minnesota. Surrounded by wolves and blood…and the beautiful yellow eyes of her wolf. Now, at 17, Grace still loves the howls of the wolves in the woods behind her house and can always catch a glimpse of her wolf – only by his eyes.

But Grace’s world isn’t perfect. She has parents who prefer their careers over their daughter and her friendship with Olivia and Rachel is slowly crumbling because of Grace’s obsession with wolves. And then, Jack disappears and hunters are out looking to kill the pack.

Grace would do anything to save her wolf…even if that means putting herself in danger. And when that happens, her wolf saves her and shows himself as Sam, a dangerous secret revealed. Now, it’s up to Grace to try to save Sam from transforming again, but with the weather getting colder and colder, the more time they lose until his final transformation.

Teens are in the midst of reading and gobbling up any book that deals with vampires and werewolves, and Maggie Stiefvater’s new book will be a welcome edition to their reading repertoire. Filled with werewolves, action, and romance, YA readers will keep turning the pages to find out what happens between Grace and Sam, which shows itself only at the end. No peeking allowed!!

Tuesday, October 27, 2009

Bad Girls Don't Die by Katie Alender


Alexis lives in the oldest and more unique house in town. But she can't say that about her dyfunctional family. She has a workaholic mother, a father who won't treat her like a grown-up, and a 13-year-old sister who loves and collects dolls. The only thing working for her right now is her love of photography. And that's what starts it all.
One night, while taking photos of her house at night, Lexie thinks she sees an odd light that seems to follow her and her sister, Kasey. But was it a trick of the eye? Lexie shrugs it off and continues with her non-existent high school life, until things change from "normal" to weird.
For the first time in her life, Lexie thinks she may be falling for Carter, the student council vice-president and polar extreme of who and what she is. And the most popular girls in school? They are actually talking to her...but the most strange? Her sister Kasey. Why do her eyes change from blue to green? And when they do, her whole personality changes from little sister to evil incarnate. Pair that with cold rooms when the A/C is off, strange stories and memories Lexie doesn't understand but "remembers", and accidents that are far from accidental, and Lexie knows there must be more going on than meets the eye.
Slowly, she begins to realize what is happening to her sister. From an accident that happened long ago in her house, a restless spirit is intent on revenge. And Lexie has to prevent the possession of her little sister before she's gone for good. But can she?
Katie Alender captures the essence of a fast-paced ghostly read for YA by creating characters that counterbalance each other socially written within the genre of high-interest supernatural that seems to be prominent in YA fiction today. From enemies to romance, possession to a dysfunctional family, from revenge to love, Alender weaves a great tale that encompasses it all without bogging down the plot. This will be a book that will be read over and over - keep plenty on the shelves! Recommended.