Born Wicked

Born Wicked by Jessica Spotswood. Grades 7 and up. G.P. Putnam's Sons, February 2012. 327 pages. Reviewed from ARC provided by publisher.

The Cahill sisters have a secret: just like their late mother, they have magic. If the Brothers knew, they would arrest them all and send them away. Cate's determined to protect her sisters, just as she promised her mother. But with her intention day looming, Cate's got some big decisions to make. Should she marry, even though it means she would move to the city and leave her sisters to fend for themselves? Can she face joining the Sisterhood instead? Does she even love the one man who has proposed to her? And are the Cahill sisters the subject of a dire prophecy that foretells one of them changing the world forever?

I found Born Wicked to be an unexpected delight and now (of course), I'm clamoring for the next book (and the first one hasn't even been released yet... woe is me ;).

It started off a little slow, or maybe I was just concentrating too hard on piecing together the setting and the society. Born Wicked is set in Maine in the late 19th century, after most of the witches who immigrated to America for religious freedom had been killed off or gone into hiding. Once I got a grip on the world, I was quickly caught up in Cate's romantic intrigues and the mystery surrounding the prophecy. The romance was definitely swoon-worthy, even though it's not graphic. As Cate wavers between two potential suitors, the tension mounts and Jessica Spotswood builds it perfectly. The twists and turns in the story kept me on my toes and kept me turning the pages and I'll definitely be seeking out the next book in the series.

I'd definitely hand this debut to teens who dig stories about witches and magic. It'll satisfy those who can't get enough of the paranormal romance books and I might also try it on fans of The Luxe by Anna Godbersen and Immortal Beloved by Cate Tiernan.

A note on the cover: Okay, it's pretty. But a photo of a girl laying in the grass in her skivvies under the title BORN WICKED... I guess my mind goes to bad places. (Although that might be the very thing that entices teens to pick it up...)

Born Wicked will be on shelves February 7!

#48HBC: Glass Houses

Glass Houses (Morganville Vampires #1) by Rachel Caine. Grades 8+ Signet (Penguin), 2006. 239 pages. Reviewed from library copy.

Genius sixteen-year-old Claire Danvers was excited to start college and dreamed of attending an ivy league university... but instead her parents insisted on sending her to Texas Prairie University (also known as TPEwwww) since it's located in Morganville, TX, just a few hours from home. College is not all it's cracked up to be. Since insulting one of the queen bees on campus, Claire's become the target of dangerous hazing in the dorms. Since quitting school and slinking back home is not in her vocabulary, Claire looks for an off-campus solution and finds herself the newest resident of Glass House, sharing digs with three older kids. But something is not right in Morganville and all too soon Claire's caught up in the violence and power struggles that permeate the town.

If you're looking for sparkly vampires, move along. In Morganville, the vamps are not messing around.

I picked this one up on Katie's recommendation and I'm so glad I did! I absolutely can't wait to booktalk this series to my teens (um, after I replace the copies that have been stolen, that is...).

The writing is witty and the dialog is SPOT ON. I can seriously buy all the banter coming from teenagers. It's not peppered with slang that's going to date the series quickly. And I love all the characters. Claire is scrappy and tenacious. Seriously, she's like a non-annoying Scrappy Doo. She might be little, but there is no stopping her from doing something she's determined to do. Like attend calculus, even though there are vamps and militant mean girls hunting for her. And she's super protective of her friends, even though they're all older and wiser than she is. And also, I love how she lied about knowing how to make tacos. HA!

I also love the other kids living in Glass House, especially Shane who is funny and a hottie, even if he doesn't have a job. (Seriously, how fun must it be to live in Glass House with three friends your age and not have a job or classes to worry about? I mean, if you didn't have to fend off blood-sucking fiends at every turn.)

There's a lot of action, big bad vampires (there are NOT Twilight vampires!), and a dose of steamy romance towards the end. And also, the first book ends on a big ol' cliffhanger!!! So make sure you replace all the stolen copies at your library so your teens can find out what happens next.

Glass Houses probably most reminded me of Buffy the Vampire Slayer since it features teenage kids pretty much on their own against the Big Bad (not to mention the witty dialog). I'd also try it on fans of Vampire Diaries, Meg Cabot's Mediator series, and Scott Westerfeld's Midnighters series (which is, in my opinion, a grossly overlooked awesome supernatural series).

48-Hour Book Challenge Update!


Time spent reading: 10 hours
Time spent blogging: 1.5 hours
Time spent social networking: 1.25 hours
Books completed: 3
Pages read: 1175

I took a nap at 2:30, so I think I am energized for this evening... And I think I'm going to pick up a short nonfiction book next... Hmm....

Immortal Beloved

Immortal Beloved by Cate Tiernan.  (Grades 8+)  Little, Brown, September 2010.  416 pages.  Reviewed from ARC provided by publisher.

Nastasya is a 400-year-old immortal.  You'd think that nothing would faze her, but the truth is she's lost in a swirl of parties, drugs, and beautiful partners - anything to distract her from the overwhelming notion of living forever.  Nastasya gets a wake up call when she discovers that her best friends are dabbling in black magick and she heads to River's Edge, a home for wayward immortals who have nowhere else to turn.  There she discovers that she might be able to use her magick for good and she also meets Reyn, a beautiful immortal to which she feels an instant attraction.  There are secrets at River's End and as Nastasya starts uncovering repressed memories, she'll have to decide whether to stay or to go.  To stay might break her heart, to stay might break her soul.

Paranormal's hot right now, there's no debate about that, and Immortal Beloved will fit the bill for those insatiable paranormal fans.  All the elements are here, namely a brooding hunk of a love interest.  For me, the most appealing aspect of the book was the magick lore.  Not much was really explained about the immortal thing (I'm assuming that'll come in one of the later books), but Nastasya learns a lot about her magick during her time at River's Edge.  I really enjoyed the scenes where she's figuring out spells and stone magic and things like that.  Even though Nastasya's not technically a witch, I think the prevalence of magic will appeal to fans of books about witches and magic.

This is very much the first book in a series and a lot of it felt like set-up for the next book.  As such, it felt like a lot happened, but not much happened.  That said, I enjoyed reading the book, even as I was snorting over Nastasya's instant, unexplainable attraction to Reyn and the big twist that I figure out almost immediately.

I'd recommend Immortal Beloved to die-hard paranormal fans, especially fans of Twilight or Sophie Jordan's Firelight.

Read more reviews at A Good Addiction and Confessions of a Book Addict.

Immortal Beloved is on shelves now!

Book Review: Paranormalcy

Paranormalcy by Kiersten White.  (Grades 7+)  HarperTeen, August 2010.  352 pages.  Reviewed from purchased copy.

Evie loves pink.  She never misses her favorite teen drama, Easton Heights.  She procrastinates on her homework.  Oh, and she can see through paranormals' glamours.  For Evie, this is her normal life: working for the International Paranormal Containment Agency, chatting with her best friend (a mermaid), avoiding her ex (a faerie)... When a mysterious shape-shifter appears at IPCA, Evie can't help but be intrigued by the only guy around who's close to her own age.  But when Evie starts having disturbing dreams and paranormals starts dying, she discovers that her ability may mean more than she'd ever thought.

I loved the humorous tone of the book, something I wasn't expecting from the dark cover.  It's funny and a little flippant and it reminded me right away of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, which I loved.  I liked the character of Evie right away.  She's spunky and smart and she can do something that no one else can do, but she's still very much a teen girl.  She longs to attend high school like the characters in her favorite show.  She wants to have a boyfriend, learn to drive.  She loves her job, but at the same time she wants a life.

I was intrigued by the workings of the IPCA and Evie's ability. I also dug Kiersten White's imaginings of the various paranormal creatures that Evie meets.  Since Evie can see through their glamours, we get a glimpse of vampires that appear sexy to humans but are withered corpses underneath and faeries whose glamours temper their beauty for human eyes.  Very cool.

Paranormalcy is Buffy the Vampire Slayer meets Alias in a YA paranormal romance.  Nothin' wrong with that.

The book's the first in a series and if I have any complaint it's that by the end of the book, a lot of it felt like setup.  I mean, a lot of stuff happens, but not much happens (if that makes any sense).  I will definitely be checking out the sequels and waiting to find out what happens to Evie, Lend, and the rest of them.

Check out more reviews at Stacked, Stiletto Storytime, GreenBean TeenQueen, and DJ's Life in Fiction (among others).

Paranormalcy is on shelves now!

Jumbee

Jumbee by Pamela Keyes.  (Grades 7 and up.)  Dial, October 2010.  388 pages.  Reviewed from ARC provided by publisher.

After the death of her thespian father, Esti Legard moves to a Caribbean island to attend a prestigious theater school.  She's finally free from living in her father's shadow, but a mysterious death at the theater leaves her wondering if her father haunts her still.  She begins to hear a voice in the theater, a boy who calls himself Alan and coaches her on her acting.  Esti's performances get better and better and she starts falling for Alan, the sweet, sensitive man whose face she's never seen.  When bad boy Rafe Solomon, a childhood friend of Esti's, shows up on Cariba, Esti must choose between the boy who speaks to her heart and the boy who holds her in his arms.

Jumbee is a reimagining of The Phantom of the Opera, set on a lush Caribbean island and there were many things I loved about it.  When I got a pitch for this book, the thing that sold me was that it was a story inspired by Phantom.  I have loved Phantom since I was in the sixth grade and my class went to go see it.  I played Christine Daae when my class put on the play.  I memorized the soundtrack.  I just really, really loved it.  So that was fun for me, to see the ways that Keyes mirrors the story of Christine, Raul, and the Phantom.  I must confess that as I was reading it, I kept getting Phantom songs playing through my head.

But the trick here is to compare it with Phantom but not to compare it too closely because that's not really fair to the book.  Alan is no Phantom.  I can really appreciate Ms. Keyes's challenge in creating a character who's ghostly enough to be mysterious but human enough to be a teen love interest.  However, I'm not sure that I totally bought Esti's love for Alan OR Rafe.  There was a little too much telling instead of showing, which kept the book from being really excellent.

I do think the lush Caribbean scenery and the rich folklore traditions included make the book stand out.  That combined with my extreme love of Phantom kept me turning the pages.

I'd recommend this to teen theater buffs, maybe fans of Eyes Like Stars by Lisa Mantchev (there is a lot of Shakespeare in Jumbee, so I'd particularly consider teens who dig the Bard).

Jumbee will be on shelves October 14.

Nevermore

Nevermore by Kelly Creagh.  (Grades 9+)  Atheneum, August 2010.  544 pages.  Reviewed from purchased copy.

Once upon a high school cheery, Isobel faced English, leery
of the boy with pierce-ed lip and green eyes ringed with smudge-ed kohl.
When her teacher did assign her, then the fates they did align her
with the boy with eyes so clear they stared right down into her soul.
Varen was a tortured boy, finding escape for his soul.
Isobel would play a role.

As they started work together, Isobel decided whether
she condoned the actions of her jealous, football-playing beau.
Hearing strange things calling to her, unsure whether goth would woo her,
Isobel's caught up in Varen's spooky dreamland built on Poe.
As weird things begin to happen, as they study Edgar Poe
Isobel must stay or go...

Nevermore is Kelly Creagh's debut novel and I really liked it!*  Cheerleader Isobel gets paired up with scary goth kid Varen for an English project.  From the moment he writes his phone number down on her hand in purple ink, Isobel feels a spark, and as they work together on their Edgar Allan Poe project, she discovers that he's much more than eyeliner and silver chains.  Unfortunately, Isobel's jock boyfriend Brad is jealous and decides to make life hard for Varen.  And strange things start happening to Isobel - hearing voices, seeing things that aren't there...  Isobel thought she knew what she wanted - a decent grade on her English paper so she could compete with the cheerleaders at Nationals - but now she finds herself questioning her so-called friends and wanting to know what's behind Varen's mysterious facade.  Isobel will find out... but will she survive to tell about it?

What drew me in to the novel right off the bat were the characters of Varen and Isobel.  Varen!  I love him!  And Isobel is pretty darn sassy.  She could have easily been a flat character, a stereotypical cheerleader, but Isobel stands up for what she believes in and she's passionate about defending the people she cares about.  So, I liked both the main characters right off.  And then there's the chemistry between them.

Adele of Persnickety Snark was just ranting about unrealistic love-at-first-sight in YA novels, but I feel like Nevermore gets it right.  Isobel's attraction to Varen builds slowly and believably.  Kelly doesn't just tell us that Isobel has feelings for him, she shows us.  And that, my friends, makes all the difference.  Isobel and Varen are steamy without being steamy.  It's not a graphic love affair, but a spark that turns into a kind of smoldering thing, which is so much hotter than Isobel instantly falling "in love" and then beating the readers over the head with it.

Also, there's the creepiness.  Kelly does a great job with that, too.  For me, it's the off-screen stuff that really has the potential to be scary - the noises you hear but can't identify, the things you see out of the corner of your eye.  Kelly gets it right, with enough creepiness to please teens who like the scarier side of paranormal romance, and some unexpected funny bits to lighten the mood a bit.

Now, 544 pages is a lot of pages.  I generally feel that books should be 250-300 pages max (with very few exceptions).  And I'm not convinced that Nevermore really needed to be 500+ pages.  BUT.  I honestly enjoyed my time reading it.  It was a book that I looked forward to picking up and I didn't want to put it down to go to sleep at night.  Short chapters and engaging characters make the pages go by pretty quickly.

I'd definitely recommend Nevermore to fans of paranormal romance, but I'd try it on fans of straight-up romance, too.  The fantastic aspects to the story sort of trickle in at the beginning and really pick up at the end, so teens who don't think they like paranormal stuff might be drawn in by the characters.

Know that there is a sequel slated for 2011 and things are not going to be wrapped up with a big, shiny bow. I do feel like Kelly does a good job of completing the first part of the story while still building some momentum to lead us into the next book.

Read more reviews at Presenting Lenore, The Book Smugglers, Steph Su Reads, and Stiletto Storytime.  Also, check out an interview with Kelly at The Book Butterfly. 

Nevermore is on shelves now!

* which is a relief because I went to high school with Kelly and I had a great fear that I would not like her novel and then I would feel terrible.  Whew!

Firelight by Sophie Jordan

Firelight by Sophie Jordan. Grades 7 and up. HarperTeen, September 2010. Reviewed from ARC snagged at BEA. 323 pages.

Jacinda: The first fire-breathing draki born in thousands of years. When the pride tries to control her, her mother moves the family to the middle of the desert, hoping to protect Jacinda. But to Jacinda, it's torture. She can feel her draki side fading away as she's forced to enter the human world. The one bright spot is Will, a gorgeous boy with whom she feels an instant connection. He stirs the draki inside her whenever she's around him. But she can't let it go too far or else the world will know the draki's secret - that they can disguise themselves in human form. How can Jacinda keep her secret... when she can't stay away from Will?

Sometimes when it's summer and your job is very busy and you're a little stressed out, it gets hard to read books. I'd been having that problem this month, unable to stick with a book to the end, not wanting to read at all in favor of laying on the couch and watching TV. Until Firelight.

It was absolutely the perfect book for me at the moment that I read it. I love it when that happens. Once I picked it up, I didn't want to put it down. The romance sizzles off the page without being graphic and the interesting plot twists and draki lore kept me turning the pages.

For me, the book was very Twilight- esque. As in, the writing is repetitive and Jacinda is a character that lets things happen to her instead of doing things, but none of that really mattered because I was just really enjoying reading the book. And there's nothing wrong with that.

I'd hand this to Twilight fans immediately, if not sooner, and I think anyone who's looking for some escapist supernatural romance will dig this book.

Read more reviews at The Book Vault, Mindful Musings, Lauren's Crammed Bookshelf, and A Good Addiction (among others).

Firelight, Sophie Jordan's first YA novel, will be on shelves September 7.

Book Review: Raised by Wolves

Raised by Wolves by Jennifer Lynn Barnes. Grades 7+. Egmont USA, June 2010. Reviewed from ARC provided by publisher.

Bryn has been raised by wolves. Werewolves, that is.

When Bryn was four years old, her parents were killed by a rogue rabid werewolf and Bryn was adopted by Callum, the leader of her local werewolf pack. The Weres have a strict code and they deal swiftly and harshly with any Were who attacks humans. Bryn has felt safe under their protection, though she has worked hard to close off the bond that comes with being a member of the pack. Bryn is fiercely independent and can't stomach the thought that, through the bond, members of the pack can know what she's feeling.

But when a new werewolf arrives, Bryn feels compelled to see him and what she learns from him will change everything.

Oh, Jennifer Lynn Barnes. You did good.

Werewolves may be the in thing right now, but not all supernatural teen novels are created equal. This is one of the good ones. (I made a terrible pun in my Good Reads review and I'm not going to repeat it here.)

I just really dig Jennifer Lynn Barnes's writing style. It's snappy and pithy. Bryn is so scrappy and snarky, I couldn't help but like her from the very beginning. It's the same dry wit that made me love The Squad: Perfect Cover so much.

Add to that, a different take on the werewolf lore. I know that some people get all indignant when authors reimagine mythical creatures, but I'm not one of those people. Here, the werewolves are divided into different territories with one Alpha per pack. Animal instincts dictate that the Weres obey their Alpha and the different packs have slipped into a rather uneasy democracy. I'm digging it.

There's a bit of a sizzling romance and, though I could have done with more of that aspect, it'll please members of Team Jacob. Hand this one to Twilighters and fans of supernatural stories like Shiver and Hush, Hush. They won't be disappointed.

Read more reviews at Persnickety Snark and Bookworming in the 21st Century.

Raised by Wolves hits shelves June 8!
And I found out through Jennifer's blog that there's gonna be a sequel! Yayayay!

Book Review: The Body Finder

The Body Finder by Kimberly Derting. Grades 9+. HarperTeen, March 2010. Reviewed from ARC provided by publisher.

Violet was eight when she found the first body, buried in the woods behind her house. That's when she discovered the power that she has - a sixth sense that alerts her to the presence of people (and animals) who have been murdered. Now Violet's in high school and the only imprints she senses are the occasional small animal. She's got other things to deal with. Namely, a gigantic crush on her best friend Jay. He's grown up recently and become sexy and Violet's not at all sure what to do about her new feelings for him.

But when bodies start popping up in her small town, Violet will rely on Jay as she tries to find the killer... before it's too late.

Here's what I love about The Body Finder:

1. It starts off so strongly with the tension! I didn't want to put it down at first. You get snippets of the serial killer's perspective, just enough to be really super creepy.

2. The sexual tension between Violet and Jay pretty much sizzles off the page. Remember that crush you had where every moment you spent with the other person was pure torture, but you couldn't get enough? Yeah. Kimberly Derting gets it right. Plus, it's hot without being graphic at all.

3. The whole concept is cool and I really like the way that Derting has developed Violet's sixth sense. She gets an "imprint" from a body and it can come in the form of a sound or a color or a taste or a feeling... something only she can sense. Each body's is different and the killer has a bit of the same imprint. The supernatural elements fit very organically into the story.

Now, there were some things I didn't like quite so much. The tension that starts off so strongly kind of evaporated after the first two-thirds or so of the book. No spoilers, but there is a twist that happens a little too early (with obviously too many pages to go, so you know something else is coming). And I thought that the writing could have been a little tighter in places.

That said, the book gets a big heart from me because I really enjoyed it, despite its shortcomings. I will definitely be looking for more from Kimberly Derting. I would try this on fans of Wake and Fade by Lisa McMann (of which I am a huge fan) because it's got a similar tone and a similar mix of crime investigation and romance.

Read more at That Teen Can Blog! and Simply Nerdy Book Reviews.

And check out this book trailer:



The Body Finder is due on shelves March 16!

PS: I read this one in 2009, so it doesn't count for me, but this is a debut if you're reading for the 2010 Debut Author Challenge!

Prophecy of the Sisters

Prophecy of the Sisters by Michelle Zink. (Grades 7+)
Little Brown, August 2009.
Review copy provided by publisher.

Sixteen-year-old Lia Milthorpe has just recently lost her father, leaving her parentless. But when a strange mark appears on her wrist, she realizes she is being branded with much more than her newfound title of orphan. Lia and her twin sister, Alice, are part of an ancient prophecy that has turned generations of sisters against each other.

Lia hides this discovery from Alice and even from her beloved James, but to escape from the burden this secret bestows she must end the prophecy - before her sister. Only then will she understand the mysterious circumstances of her parents' deaths, the true meaning of the mark on her wrist, the lengths to which her sister will go to defeat her, and the downfall the prophecy could bring.

Michelle Zink has created an intensely atmospheric and creepy tale. From the first page, I could feel the cold November wind and Lia's growing dread as she tries to decipher the newfound mark on her wrist. The imagery is downright creepy and teens looking for a book that'll keep them up at night need look no further. The story really reminded me of A Great and Terrible Beauty and I'd waste no time in recommending Prophecy of the Sisters to Gemma Doyle fans.

That said, I have to confess that I only made it about halfway through Prophecy. It has less to do with the quality of the book (which many, many bloggers have really enjoyed) and more that it just wasn't my thing. I think my problem was that while there were great plot twists, it seemed to take too long to get to each one. I'd be on the verge of putting the book down when another plot twist came along and I'd decide to keep going. After a few of those, I decided that it wasn't doing it for me. I hate to be one of those people who thinks no great books are longer than 250 pages, but I really think that if it was 100 pages shorter I probably would have kept going.

The reason I picked up the book is that so many people were raving about it. Presenting Lenore calls it "hauntingly lovely". Book Nerds says it's a "shockingly good debut" that really made her want the next book. Shooting Stars Mag says "this book was beyond amazing!" Oh, and there are tons of other great reviews. So if Prophecy of the Sisters sounds like it's right up your alley, go find one of those gushing reviews (or better yet, snag a copy yourself and make up your own mind!).

Book Review: Shiver

Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater. (Grades 9+)
Scholastic, August 2009
Full disclosure: reviewed from ARC I snagged at ALA

Ever since she was a little girl, Grace has been visited by a wolf in the woods behind her house. This particular wolf seems to appear every winter and has the most amazing yellow eyes. After wolves attack one of her classmates, Grace's wolf appears to her one night... as a human. Sam. And Grace knows that she loves him. But she also knows that she's going to lose him. For as the temperature drops, Sam's days as a human are drawing to a close. And to be together, Grace and Sam have to be willing to risk everything.

Shiver was everything I wanted Twilight to be. There, I said it.

It's beautifully written. I didn't find any of the characters annoying. Both Grace and Sam narrate the story with chapters switching back and forth between their points of view. Even as Grace's obsession with Sam grows, she's still her own person.

I had one niggling complaint about the werewolf folklore, but it was answered towards the middle of the book. (I kept thinking, if you change when you get cold... move to Florida! But there's a reason they can't do that. It gets explained.)

I kept flagging passages of beautiful writing, like this one at the very beginning:

The day I nearly talked to Grace was the hottest day of my life. Even in the bookstore, which was air-conditioned, the hear crept in around the door and came in through the big picture windows in waves. Behind the counter, I slouched on my stool in the sun and sucked in the summer as if I could hold every drop of it inside me. As the hours crept by, the afternoon sunlight bleached all the books on the shelves to pale, gilded versions of themselves and warmed the paper and ink inside the covers so that the smell of unread words hung in the air.

This was what I loved, when I was human.

I knew at that point that I was in for a treat. It took me a little bit to get hooked into the story, but once I did, I didn't want to put the book down. I'm not sure what else I have to say about it. I'd promptly hand it over to Twilight fans (hi, Melody!) or fans of paranormal romance.

Check out this gorgeous book trailer created by the author:



Oh, and there's a companion novel coming out in Fall 2010, Linger.

And read more reviews at The Compulsive Reader, Presenting Lenore, The Well-Read Child, GreenBeanTeenQueen, and Shooting Stars Mag.

Plus, read a Cynsations interview with Maggie Stiefvater and Ms. Stiefvater's thoughts about the worst review she's received over at The Worst Review Ever (OMG what a cool idea for a blog!).

Those Cybils guys know what they're talking about...

I'm working this weekend, so today was my day off and I've spent it catching up on ER (Dr. Carter!!!) and reading The London Eye Mystery and Wake.

The London Eye Mystery by Siobhan Dowd was the 2008 Cybils winner for middle grade fiction. Ted's cousin Salim comes to visit in London and disappears after getting on the London Eye. He goes up... but he never comes back down. While the adults are frantically calling the police and freaking out, Ted and his older sister Kat set out to find Salim. I really liked Ted as a narrator. He's on the autism spectrum, which he relates to his brain running on a different operating system than most people's. It's this very difference that helps Ted figure out what's happened to Salim.

One thing that sometimes bugs me about mysteries for kids is that there's no reason why they can't just tell an adult and get things taken care of. Instead, the kids try to solve it on their own, making it needlessly complicated. I don't have the patience for that. So one of the things I loved about this book is that Ted and Kat really try to get the adults to listen to their theories. The adults are so freaked out, though, that they don't spare the time to listen to Ted's theories and questions. He's so frank about things that he's often shushed so as not to cause Aunt Gloria more grief. It was totally believable to me that Ted and Kat would and could set out on their own to solve things.

Also, there were tons of London-y details and English slang. I don't necessarily consider myself an Anglophile, but that was really neat.

So, I finished The London Eye Mystery this morning and this afternoon I picked up Wake by Lisa McMann. Honestly, I didn't think I was going to like it (I generally find dream sequences pretty annoying), but it's gotten so much buzz that I thought I should try it.

Oh my gosh, you guys. I could not put it down. I don't typically finish books in one sitting, but I honestly never wanted to put it down. I can totally see why it was on the Cybils shortlist in the Fantasy/Sci-Fi category.

Since she was eight years old, Janie's been pulled into other people's dreams. She learned pretty early on that sleepovers were not for her. She dreads having study hall right after lunch. Without warning, she might be plunged into someone's dream where she has to watch what unfolds. She's paralyzed until the dreamer wakes and the dream stops. Nightmares. Sex dreams. She thinks she's seen it all. But when she witnesses an extra-horrific nightmare, she decides she's had enough. Something has to change... but how?

I love, love, loved the romance in the book and it felt really realistic (well, except for the dream-catching thing, obvs). The story unfolds in fits and starts and the format felt very dreamlike (which I didn't think I would like, but it's actually really appropriate).

Y'all know how I feel about sequels and series (as a rule, I don't like them, although recent evidence [Envy, Starclimber] would suggest otherwise). So it says a lot that before Wake was even over, I was already looking forward to Fade.

So, that's how I've spent my day off. It's been quite pleasant. :)

I've got several posts planned for next week (if I can stop reading awesome Cybils finalists long enough to write them), including a Day in the Life and a post about an author visit I attended this week. So stay tuned. And enjoy your weekend. :)

Book Review: Hell Week

Hell Week by Rosemary Clement-Moore. (Grades 9+)

If you've read the first Maggie Quinn book, you know that Maggie Quinn has some special talents. She tends to have dreams that are, well, psychic. And lately her powers have been getting even stronger.

In Prom Dates from Hell, Maggie had to deal with demonic prom crashers. In Hell Week she's facing something even scarier: Rush.

In an effort to get published in the local newspaper, journalism student Maggie infiltrates rush week and started writing articles under the pseudonym "The Phantom Rushee". As she writes her snarky articles, Maggie begins to uncover something sinister going on with the sorority Sigma Alpha Xi. But in order to ferret out the evil on campus, Maggie has to stay undercover as a pledge and the consequences will be more dangerous than she could ever imagine.

Maggie Quinn is a smart, sassy heroine and I maintain that these books will give any Buffy fan her fix. Written with a great sarcastic humor, the book had me laughing out loud. Throw in a smidgen of romance, a dash of mystery, and a sprinkling of interesting secondary characters and you've got yourself a great book.

You'll probably get more out of it if you've read Prom Dates from Hell, but I read it last year (and my memory for books is ridiculously poor) and I didn't feel like I was missing anything. But I don't know why you would want to skip a dose of Maggie Quinn. And (hooray!) there's a third Maggie Quinn book due out in March: Highway to Hell.

Check out Rosemary Clement-Moore's website, RCM's blog, and more reviews at: Avid Teen Reader, A Patchwork of Books, and Kiss the Book. Also check out a Cynsations interview with RCM.