Plot Summary: After 3 minutes under water, you’ll lose consciousness.  At 4 minutes, permanent brain damage can occur.  Death is possible at 5 minutes, likely at 7 and almost certain at 10.  When Delaney fell through the ice, it was 11 minutes before Decker pulled her out.  She should have been dead or in a coma.  Instead she walks out of the hospital and into a life that is changed.  Friends treat her differently, and a mysterious stranger seems to show up everywhere she goes.  But it is the strange physical attraction and response to people who later turn up dead that she can neither control or understand.

Critical Analysis:  Strong characterization, especially of Delaney, great tone and voice, feelings of loss, love and guilt alongside a dark and suspenseful tautly paced plot add up to a book that is more than the sum of its parts.  I finished this book several weeks ago but it has stayed with me.  First I identified with Delaney, a studious teenage girl who loves being with her best friend.  Rather ingenious in my book to have Delaney die and come back to life–signifies that transformation all teens go through.  How her friends react to the changed her is part of what makes the story heart wrenching.  And there is darkness…you can’t cheat death and not have darkness.  Darkness in Delaney, in Troy (who shares her gift (curse?), in people on their way to dying.  I don’t want to say too much, so I’ll stop there.  But I will say how refreshing to have a supernatural story that isn’t peopled with vampires, werewolves, angels, mermaids or any other mythical or magical creature.

Readalikes:  I was strongly reminded of Wake by Lisa McMann, dark and supernatural as well.  Whenever someone nearby falls asleep, Janey falls into their dreams.

Review Excerpts: “[A] captivating and intelligent story of love and death with a dash of the supernatural….The fluid writing, empathetic characters, and big questions raised elevate this paranormal romance into a haunting meditation on what it means to be human and to truly live. “–Publisher’s Weekly

“ Delaney is an engaging personality, and Miranda is able to sustain her protagonist’s sharp voice throughout. Mom, Derek, Troy, and several minor characters are realistic, distinctive, and interesting….readers will find Delaney delightfully genuine and her story compelling. “–VOYA

“This book works as a good teen drama plot with a supernatural twist, so many libraries will want this volume for those that only want a taste of the unexplainable. “–Children’s Literature

“The story sometimes seems to be headed toward the supernatural, and then it suddenly makes a sharp turn toward realistic science, and then back again. The love triangle, combined with the allure of danger, will carry readers through this story that pulls them back every time they might feel ready to give up.”–School Library Journal

“Teetering between tired, predictable romance and edgy thriller….An occasionally thrilling paranormal romance with enough spellbinding incidents to overcome the clichéd components.”–Kirkus Reviews

Reviewed from publisher provided advanced copy.  Amazon Affiliate: If you click from here to Amazon and buy something, I receive a percentage of the purchase price.

Bibliography: Hart, Carolyn. (2009).  Merry, Merry Ghost.  New York: William Morrow.  ISBN: 978-0060874377 (hc) 978-0061962929 (pb)

Plot Summary:  The late Bailey Ruth Raeburn is chosen to return to her old stomping grounds, Adelaide, OK just in time for Christmas and to help four-year-old orphan Keith meet his grandmother Susan.  When Susan decides to change her will to leave everything to Keith, someone makes sure that she can’t.  Bailey Ruth must catch the murderer and protect Keith.

Critical Analysis:  I have long been a fan of Carolyn Hart, especially the Death on Demand series.  When I found out she was writing a new series, I decided to give it a try, even though I am so tired and so over anything paranormal.  Well, am I ever so glad I did!  Bailey Ruth and the heaven she inhabits and the Oklahoma she visits are delightful all around.  Bailey Ruth is as feisty in death as she must have been in life, but her heart is in the right place.  I love the details of the world that Hart has created–Bailey Ruth’s ability to imagine a new wardrobe, to appear and disappear and carry things (but the items remain visible).  She pretends to be a police officer and provides clues to the sheriff.  She breaks all the “precepts” and is worried that she won’t get sent on any more missions.  In this series entry, lots of Christmas details and cerebration, a very dysfunctional family, and a very funny scene where Bailey Ruth and the ghost of the murder victim are pulled over while driving a car.  Well, and a murder.  Delightful and cozy and I recommend it highly (along with the others in the series.)  If you can get the audio version, even better, as the reader is excellent.

Review Excerpts: “When murder and mayhem ensue, Hart’s ghostly detective gets on the track of a clever killer. Bailey Ruth’s pleasure in her earthly wardrobe, her keen observations of the other characters and her unorthodox but expert sleuthing will engage readers from start to finish.”–Publisher’s Weekly

“A cute and cozy mystery.”–Library Journal

Reviewed from public library  audio book copy.  Amazon Affiliate: If you click from here to Amazon and buy something, I receive a percentage of the purchase price.

Plot Summary:  Teens Keri, Janna and Sione have something in common.  All had an older brother who committed suicide.  Janna tells Keri she and summer fling Sione think it might have been murder, with a pattern of deaths stretching back for years.  They try and catch the person responsible, but when they get close, strange and dangerous things start to happen.  Will they stop the killer from striking again?  Or end up victims themselves?

Critical Analysis:  I have a hard time writing about a book like this, as I don’t want to give too much away, so here goes nothing.

I hesitate to call this novel paranormal.  For me, as of late, that term invokes visions of vampires, werewolves and ghosts in a sort of other world that might look like our world but is different.  Healey instead gives the reader something real.  Real feelings both on the part of the main characters and the secondary ones.  Grief and fear and a need to do something, to take control.   Human feelings and motives that drive actions both good and bad.  This reality adds a layer of fear and suspense and emotion to the events as they unfold.  This story, the setting, and the characters as so well realized that days after finishing the book, I can see it in my mind, playing like a movie.  (It would be an excellent teen horror movie I think.)

Readalikes:  I was reminded of Shirley Jackson’s short story, The Lottery and of Margo Lanagan’s Singing My Sister Down.

Review Excerpts:  ”[A]n intense and powerful novel that explores the effect of suicide on families….skillfully keeps her characters on an emotional roller-coaster even as they deal with physical threats. The climax delivers a gut punch that only underscores the sensitivity of the subject matter (without lessening the thrill at all).”–Publisher’s Weekly

“Healey has got a whopper of a concept here, and strong main characters to make the most of it. It is easy to identify with at least one of the trio—shattered Keri, lovely Janna, soulful Sione—and get swept up in the mystery that surrounds them as they work to protect Takeshi and Aroha, who are endearing.”–VOYA

“Told in alternating chapters by the teens, the story unfolds at an even pace, with the characters developing into fully realized and distinctly different personalities. Healey merges Maori and Samoan words and cultural influences throughout the text. A good choice for teens who prefer their fantasies mixed with more realism.”–School Library Journal

“…Healey (Guardian of the Dead, 2010) seamlessly integrates noir and fantasy tropes to explore issues of suicide, trust, sexuality, race, insecurity and free will in a way that feels fresh.”–Kirkus Reviews

Reviewed from publisher provided advanced copy.  Amazon Affiliate: If you click from here to Amazon and buy something, I receive a percentage of the purchase price.

Bibliography: Pearce, Jackson. (2011). Sweetly. New York: Little Brown Young Readers. ISBN: 978-0316068659

Plot Summary:  As a child, Gretchen all but watched as her twin sister was taken by a witch in the woods.  Brother Ansel could do nothing either.  They kept waiting for the witch to return for them.  Many years later,  their stepmother kicked them out and they got in their car and drove, and drove and drove until it died outside of Live Oak, South Carolina.  Young and beautiful, candy maker Sophia invites them to stay, then keeps finding tasks for Ansel to do to keep them around.  The witch won’t find them here, or will she?  Local Samuel tells Gretchen of something that lurks in the woods and makes young girls disappear after the chocolate festival.  Could it be after her?  But this time, Gretchen is not going to run, but stand and fight.  The more Gretchen learns, the more afraid she becomes of discovering who the real monster is.

Critical Analysis:  I actually liked this much more than Sisters Red.  The problem I had with Sisters Red was that the book focused on the three characters and really no one else.  This made it hard for the characters to grow or change, and in places was to be honest a bit slow and boring.  Characters need other characters to interact with, they need to be out in the world.  I think Sweetly expands the picture, adding more primary and secondary players to the mix.  It feels more real, like a time and place and people that you might meet in the South.  I also find this loss and fear to be more primal.  The idea that something is lurking in the woods and the only reason it doesn’t have you yet is because it hasn’t caught you feels very much like an underlying theme from any number of traditional fairy tales.  And while I see many call this a reconstruction of the original tale (Hansel and Gretel) for me it is actually much closer to a retelling or re imagining and that works for me.

Review Excerpts: “The story revisits several themes…including sibling bonds and betrayals, the loss of childhood innocence, and the sharp teeth of the big, bad world. Gretchen is a more nuanced character …and her relationship with Ansel doesn’t suffer quite as much from the trials they face together.”–Publisher’s Weekly

“This is more of a mash-up of the fairy tale and some recent best sellers than a reframing of the story in a deep Southern setting, and Pearce’s writing is too long on breathlessness and suppressed anguish and too short on actual plot. Will any of this pull readers in? Make them want to read 300 pages? Highly unlikely.”–School Library Journal

Reviewed from publisher provided advanced copy.  Amazon Affiliate: If you click from here to Amazon and buy something, I receive a percentage of the purchase price.

Plot Summary: Felix “Fix” Castor is trying to quit–the exorcism trade that is.  He agrees to take one last case at the Bonnington Archive in London.  Seems like it should be straight forward enough, but he should have learned long ago things are never what they seem, and there are people who will do anything (summon anything) to keep him from untangling this complex web of lies to find the truth.

Critical Analysis:  Felix Castor is a great character with one heck of a back story.  And Carey does an excellent job of making the world he lives in and the skills he has seem rather ordinary in a way.  I love the details and the layers of realism and fantasy that Carey has so carefully created.  But most of all, as a mystery junkie (addict?)  I was pleased when the paranormal dark fantasy turned out to be a an excellent mystery with an exciting and suspenseful climax.  So for me, it is more that this is an interesting well-written mystery with a fascinating protagonist than anything else that will get me to put up the next installment in the series.

Review Excerpts:  ”The resolution of this ingeniously multilayered tale will satisfy fans of both fantasy and detective fiction. Fix Castor’s wisecracking cleverness in the face of weird nemeses makes him the perfect hardboiled hero for a new supernatural noir series.”–Publisher’s Weekly

“After a slow first few pages, the story takes off…. an appealing underdog protagonist who readily acknowledges his many flaws…The job-turned-mystery angle works fine too until it hits a rather chunky spot of explanation near the end. By then the book will have woven a haunting spell over most readers, ensuring anticipation of the next installment….”–VOYA

“Carey’s writing is nimble and witty, his dialogue believable. The exorcist’s sardonic observations and personal sense of tragedy make him an unlikely, likable hero….Carey transcends his comic roots in this quirky, dark and imaginative tale that compels readers to keep turning pages long after they should have gotten to sleep.”–Kirkus Reviews

Reviewed from public library copy.   Amazon Affiliate: If you click from here to Amazon and buy something, I receive a percentage of the purchase price.

Plot Summary:  Dream-catcher Janie is spending the summer between high school and college trying to decide what to do with her life–continue helping the police solve crimes and face ending up blind and crippled, or live an isolated life shut off from boyfriend Cabel and the rest of the world.  When she meets the father she never knew and ends up in his dream, he tells her to consider both choices fully before making her decision.

Critical Analysis:  Having read Wake, Fade, and now Gone, I feel like I know Janie.  She is someone I went to high school with, someone who might live next door, someone I could know, that I want to know.  I think this is a testament to Lisa McMann’s ability to interweave action and character development.

There is no other way I could think for this series to end (since it HAD to end.)  Instead of an external mystery, we see Janie struggling internally to make a decision and come to terms with her future.  At a time when others in her class are looking excitedly outward to their bright futures (Janie’s best friend Carrie provide a perfect contrast), Janie has the weight of her gift fully on her shoulders.  Bringing her dad into the picture provided more background about the character and details about what could happen, depending on her choice.

Janie (and Lisa McMann) will always have a place in my heart.  And for me, I think the ending was perfect and right.  (You can read an interview with the gracious and charming McMann here.)

Review Excerpts:  ”Fans will gain a real appreciation of Janie’s quandary and rally behind the control she musters in her seemingly helpless situation. A fitting completion to this popular series.”–Kirkus Reviews

“This is a fast-paced read…Janie is a strong, appealing character, and the depictions of her emotional turmoil and her painful dilemma are absolutely believable….it is necessary to have read Wake and Fade to understand everything that is occurring.”–School Library Journal

“Cabel remains a steadfast and loving companion, and Janie’s mother, a barely functioning alcoholic, plays a greater role in this volume. The popular trilogy, begun with Wake (2008) and Fade (2009), ends on a hopeful yet open note that will likely have fans clamoring for McMann’s next effort.”–Booklist

Reviewed from personal copy.  Amazon Affiliate: If you click from here to Amazon and buy something, I receive a percentage of the purchase price.

Plot Summary:  Things happen when Danica is around.  Cars crash into poles, people get hurt.  She can’t control it, and so she can’t get close to anyone,  just in case.  Things change when she is goes to Delcroix Academy–an anal roommate, gossipy girlfriends, and not one, but two cute boys who want her attention.  Melancholy Jack , sure the academy is a front for something, tries to get Danica to help him figure it out.  Cute and wholesome Cam wants her attention too, but he might be in on the secret himself.  Who will Danica choose?

Critical Analysis:  This is rather light and innocent as far as paranormal romances go, and I think that is a good thing, as paranormal romance for older teens have taken off, and younger readers are a ready audience, but maybe not ready for Twilight.  And it is refreshing to read a paranormal that is not about vampires or werewolves or even angels.  Yes, we have seen these set ups before, but I did enjoy the character of Danica, someone who can thinking for herself and on her feet and while she has two guys in her life, doesn’t see her identity IN them.  So here’s hoping  Scott has a sequel and works a little on building her world and rounding out her secondary characters.

Readalikes:  David Lubar’s Hidden Talents features an alternative school for kids who are losers and failures.  But they discover they each have a special hidden talent.

In Welcome to the Ark by Stephanie Tolan, four freakishly smart freaks live together as a family and discover their strength lies in working together to reach out to others like themselves to solve the problem of violence that threatens to destroy their world.

Like Danica, Janie tries to go unnoticed rather than tell others her secret–that she gets sucked into other people’s dreams.  But when she enters a nightmare beyond her imagination, she decides she can’t remain silent in Wake by Lisa McMann.

Review Excerpts: “While nothing about Scott’s premise is especially groundbreaking, the plot is quick and gratifying, and Dancia is much more empowered than the female protagonists in some other popular supernatural thrillers.”–School Library Journal

Reviewed from public library copy.  Amazon Affiliate: If you click from here to Amazon and buy something, I receive a percentage of the purchase price.

Bibliography

Plot Summary:  The pixies Zara and her friends imprisoned at the end of Need (including pixie king, Zara’s father) were not the only ones to worry about.  Rival pixie kings are after his territory–and his daughter.  Astley is one of them, but he is not like any pixie Zara has known, challenges her preconceptions, promising she will be his pixie queen, but only when she wants it.  Zara’s friends are less convinced, but when boyfriend and were Nick is injured, will Zara do anything to save him, even turn pixie?

Critical Analysis:  First, the good.  Again, Jones has created a quick moving plot featuring the genuine friendship of an unlikely group of teens.  Some of the best parts of the book deal with Devyn and Issie and the possibility that Devyn might like someone else, will they please get together already?  The scenes with Zara reacting to being near pixie king Astley are also on point.  Imagine being a teen, with hormones and physical changes and acne and more.  Then imagine being half pixie, skin turning blue, passing out around iron, and more embarrassing changes you can’t control.   I also enjoyed the friends banding together to research what is happening and trying to work out what to do.  These relationships and scenes play off the conventions of high school and being a teen in a tongue in cheek kind of way.  I would have loved even more of these scenes.

But the book is taken up with Zara and Nick.  Somewhere between book 1 and book 2 Zara lost her spark and her spunk.  What happened to the girl who listed phobias and wrote letters for Amnesty International?  She seems to have been swallowed up by her relationship with Nick, and her whole identity and being are now tied to him.  I don’t want to spoil the plot, so I won’t go into details, but I was disappointed with the way things played out.

I also felt like the Norse addition to the plot was one thing too many.  Pixies and weres and witches are not enough?  Okay, well how about Valeryies and Norse Gods and warriors and Valhalla?  It matters little, fans of the first book will gobble this up and ask for the sequel.

Review Excerpts: “Readers will enjoy the fast-moving plot, action scenes, and lots of Zara’s inner dialogue as she tries to come to terms with what she must do if she is to save Nick, while staying true to her own self.”–Children’s Literature

“Funny dialogue, lots of action and suspense, and an unexpected ending will leave readers clamoring for the next installment.”–VOYA

“The best aspect is Zara’s band of loyal friends: hottie Nick, sometimes wolf; pal Devyn, sometimes eagle; zippy Issie, altogether human; grandma Betty, kickass EMT and occasional tiger….Neither the best nor worst of supernatural romance, but the fusion of self-sacrifice and burning love will fully slake the thirst of eager Need fans.”–Kirkus Reviews

“This entry successfully delivers expected characters, tensions, and romance. Norse lore adds a new dimension, but feels extraneous rather than integrated into the story. Still, fans will rejoice in the familiar.”–Booklist

Reviewed from public library audio book.  Amazon Affiliate: If you click from here to Amazon and buy something, I receive a percentage of the purchase price.

Plot Summary:  Aging rocker Judas Coyne is a collector of the odd, the strange, and the macabre–a cannibal cookbook, a snuff film.  He also collects girlfriends, calling each after the state where they are from.  When his assistant tells him about a ghost for sale on an internet auction site, Coyne is mildly interested and tells him to buy it.  When an old man’s black suit is delivered shortly thereafter in a black heart shaped box,  the ghost that accompanies it is not a friendly Casper type.  He and current girlfriend Georgia travel cross country to try and find a way to escape the ghost.  Judas cannot escape his past, and will need to come to terms with himself, with Georgia, with past girlfriend Florida if he has any hope of staying alive.

Critical Analysis:  I should preface this by saying that I don’t usually choose horror when I pick out what to read.  I also don’t like most horror movies.  I think, for me, it has to do with suspension of disbelief.  If the situations, characters are too unrealistic, I find it jarring (and in the case of some horror movies, silly.)

But Hill, he hooks you and reels you in before you have time to think about the details.  The pace of the story is unrelenting, and awful and horrible things follow one after the other.  But somehow, in between, we see Judas’ past, vignettes of his time with Florida.  We see Georgia’s compassion and strength of will, and most of all, a kind of horror that stems from a diabolical plot for revenge and that you feel deep in your chest.

I don’t want to say too much, I don’t want to spoil the details.  I will say that the audio book was especially creepy (to actually hear the ghost speak…) and not to belabor the Stephen King connection, but teens who love King’s early work will love this too.  (Thanks Dia Reeves for suggesting titles outside my normal reading range…you haven’t steered me wrong yet.)

Review Excerpts:  ”Much will be made of the kinship of Hill and his superstar father, Stephen King, but Hill can stand on his own two feet. He’s got horror down pat, and his debut is hair-raising fun.” –Kirkus Reviews

“…a fast-paced plot that crackles with expertly planted surprises and revelations….believably complex emotional lives that help to anchor the supernatural in psychological reality….His subtle and skillful treatment of horrors that could easily have exploded over the top and out of control helps make this a truly memorable debut.”–Publisher’s Weekly

“Predictable at times, the book has genuinely touching emotional moments as well as action-packed confrontations with the dead.”  -Library Journal

Reviewed from public library audio book.  Amazon Affiliate: If you click from here to Amazon and buy something, I receive a percentage of the purchase price.

Bibliography

Plot Summary:  Continuing where Hearts at Stake left off, vampire clans are converging for the coronation of a new queen, Helena Drake.  The Drake family is working hard to negotiate peace and alliances with other clans.  A delegate from the much misunderstood and maligned Hounds, Isabeau St. Croix finds herself reluctantly working closely with Logan Drake when Leander Montmartre, a legendary evil vampire, threatens the Drake family.   As they fight to protect their families and loved ones, their relationship intensifies.  But when confronted by someone from her past, can Isabeau put it behind her in the name of love?

Critical Analysis:  I really enjoyed Hearts at Stake and am happy to say that Blood Feud did not disappoint.  If anything, Harvey has upped her game, fleshing out more of her vampire world, and giving the reader more layers and complexity in both writing and plot.

Isabeau is a complicated character, but Harvey uses flashbacks and action scenes to show her history and where she has been.  At first Logan and Isabeau only tolerate each other for the sake of their mission, but Harvey skillfully advances their relationship as events unfold.

The flashbacks add another level of interest, and I would say I would read a whole book just about the Isabeau from the past.  While there is still humor in this volume, the tone is much more melancholy and serious, as fits both the characters and the events they are involved in, a tricky line to walk, that.

What I might love the most about this book is that it is obvious that Harvey is patterning her series after so many adult romances, where books feature romance between characters, are set in the same world, and are loosely connected.  I can understand the appeal of a long drawn out relationship that spans several books, but I love this style.  Fans will be glad to know that many characters from Hearts at Stake make appearances.

Readalikes:  Again, I am reminded of Jessica’s Guide to Dating on the Dark Side by Beth Fantaskey.  More than just a vampire book, it also features a romance between characters who aren’t quite sure they really want to be with each other, and a history and fighting between clans and attempts to make peace.

I reminded a little as well of Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl.  They too worked hard to flesh out this magical world.  In addition, while the focus is on the romance between the two teen characters, we also see an extended family, magic, tradition, and history, just as is found in the Drake Chronicles.  The tone however is very different.

Review Excerpts:  ”Harvey continues to weave an action-packed story full of intrigue, suspense, and romance with a great cast of characters. The historical flashbacks into Isabeau’s life and the unique vampire lore of the Hounds add a new twist to the genre. A satisfying read in a series that is sure to have a strong following.”–School Library Journal

Reviewed from public library copy.  Amazon Affiliate: If you click from here to Amazon and buy something, I receive a percentage of the purchase price.