Paranormal Pick: Dead Is Just a Dream

Dead Is Just a Dream
by Marlene Perez
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
2013
176 pages

Available September 3, 2013

Something sinister is going on in the little town of Nightshade, California. Jessica Walsh and her band of friends each have gifts--reading people's thoughts, seeing the future, being female warriors who protect the town. When Jessica sees a ghost horse on the beach, the first murder is reported.

A rude painter shows up in town with a show of his gruesome paintings and a new owner buys Phantasm Farms, a local horse farm. The girls have to find out who or what's killing people and soon!

After a visit to Phantasm Farms, Jessica thinks that the ghost horse, the nightmares, the painter and the strange girl who can talk to horses are all tied together. Something is killing people with fear. Dreams begin haunting her friend Eva but she can't remember what the terror is exactly.

Caught up in the case, Jessica has to juggle her high school classes, her relationship with hot boyfriend Dominic and his burgeoning music career, her very crowded family home, the arrival of her older brother from college, and policing the town of Nightshade from evil. Residents in Nightshade aren't sleeping and Jessica has to get to the bottom of this mystery.

Dead is Just a Dream is a delightful paranormal read with a little Beverly Hills, 90210 and The Secret Circle mixed in. There's the rich kids and fancy cars and there's the circle of paranormal friends who live "normal" lives when not chasing evil or destroying monsters.

Marlene Perez has the teen scene down pat and readers will fall under her spell. Cover art with the Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) skull may be off-putting to some readers--the kids attend a huge party on The Day of the Dead at a mansion. While the cover isn't that "girl-y" or romantic, fans of the series will read this book.

Highly recommended grade 7-up. No language. Just sweet kisses...oh, and sinister murder.

FTC Required Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher. I did not receive moentary compensation for this review.

This review has been posted in compliance with the FTC requirements set forth in the Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising (available at ftc.gov/os/2009/10/091005revisedendorsementguides.pdf)

Sci-Fi Thriller Pick: Unremembered

Unremembered
by Jessica Brody
Farrar Straus Giroux
2013
320 pages

Available March 5, 2013


Visit the author's website to see the U.S. and U.K. covers and download the first five chapters here

Author Jessica Brody just keeps getting better. Her earlier novels 52 Reasons to Hate My Father and My Life Undecided were funny and spunky, but Unremembered is taut, thrilling, complex and supercool. The pages practically turn themselves. Don’t sit down with this book if you have anything planned. You’ll be cancelling your plans in order to finish this exciting sci-fi thriller in one sitting.

Waking up in the water seems crazy. The only thing she remembers is “1609.” Is it a year? Or a code? Is it an address? They tell her she’s been in a horrible plane crash and that she’s the only survivor. The doctors and nurses try to help her remember, but she doesn’t remember anything: not her name, not her address, nothing of her past; she doesn’t even know what common items are: a television or a computer, for example. The media covering her story makes her the darling of network television, but no family members step forward to claim her.

She seems to remember a boy visiting her bedside and claiming to know her. He tells her he’s going to get her out of there, but then he vanishes. The nurses begin calling the Jane Doe “Violet” since that’s the color of her eyes. And another thing, Violet is drop-dead--runway model--gorgeous.
Soon, she is well enough to leave the hospital and the state finds a foster home with a family who has one younger son Cody. Violet leaves the hospital with her only belonging: a mysterious locket with the inscription: S + Z = 1609—that’s the number she remembered when they pulled her from the water! What could it mean?

Soon, Violet discovers her real name is Seraphina and that she can do difficult math problems in her head and that she speaks Russian fluently. Is she Russian? Seraphina discovers that not only is she blessed with model good looks she also has super-human strength and speed. She begins to notice her body can do incredible things. Cody tries to help Seraphina discover who and what she really is.

When she visits the airport where her plane took off, she discovers that she was never even on that plane? How did she get in the water? And who are the people who seem to be following her? And where is the mysterious boy who appeared in her hospital room? And why can’t she remember anything in her past?

Don’t miss this exciting new YA thriller. It’s going to be HUGE! And it has already been optioned for film by the producer and screenwriter responsible for the movies The Departed and The Ring.

I can’t say enough about how much I LOVED this book. It pulled me in from the very first page and raced me along at a breakneck pace through the pages. I was only sorry when the thrill ride came to an end. Readers won’t have to wait long though; this is book 1 in a planned trilogy. Fans will be clamoring for more.

Highly, highly recommended for all paranormal romance junkies grade 7-up. Some romance, some sci-fi.

FTC Required Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher. I did not receive monetary compensation for this review.
This review has been posted in compliance with the FTC requirements set forth in the Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising (available at ftc.gov/os/2009/10/091005revisedendorsementguides.pdf)

Paranormal Pick: The Raven Boys

The Raven Boys
The Raven Cycle, Book One
By Maggie Stiefvater
Scholastic Press
2012
408 pages

Read the free teaser here

Only in the capable hands of a superior storyteller like Stiefvater, could the Raven boys capture teen hearts. The author uses her writer’s chops and subtle finesse to tell a ghost story, a love story, a magical story, and the beginning of what is surely to become the most anticipated trilogy in years. Highly, highly readable and entertaining, teens will stay up until the wee hours frantically seeking what will happen to Gansey and Blue.

When Blue Sargent meets Gansey, a wealthy Raven boy, in a premonition, she knows he doesn’t have long to live. That’s not all, it has been prophesied that Blue will cause her true love to die. Her mother has been protecting her since birth, warning that she never kiss a boy and never fall in love. What’s a sixteen year old girl to do? Living in a house full of card readers and clairvoyants hasn’t been a real childhood, and now that she’s sixteen, Blue longs for a “normal” life.



She goes with her aunt to an old church on the corpse road on St. Mark’s Eve. No one ever celebrates St. Mark’s but the dead always do. Aunt Neeve wants to make contact with the other side and help the spirits of the deceased move on. She takes Blue along because when Blue is around, her magic is amplified. It is here that Blue meets and speaks to spirit Gansey. Later, she meets human Gansey and his rich boy crowd.

Just how rich are the Raven boys? Of Dick Gansey II (Gansey’s father) and Dick Gansey III (Gansey), Stiefvater writes, “Both of them could trot out logic on a nice little leash, wearing a smart plaid jacket, when they wanted to.” Gansey (the son) owns an abandoned factory which he lives in with his roommates (they live gratis) while he attends the Academy. He doesn’t realize that picking up the tab and offering to pay for everything may not sit well with others like Blue or Adam, who come from much humbler beginnings.

There’s something magical happening In the town of Henrietta; first, nearly famous Aunt Neeve shows up out of the blue (pun intended), then Gansey and his friends start poking around in the woods, a teacher at Aglionby Academy is looking for something magical and dangerous, and the ley lines are nearly buzzing with spiritual energy. Blue begins to meet the boys on the sly to help them hunt for a long lost legend of Welsh history that legend says slumbers somewhere near the town. To the one who wakes Glendower, that lucky person will be granted everything. The problem is that the kids aren’t the only ones obsessed with finding Glendower.

Gansey’s friends consist of Adam, a boy from the poor side of town who is working jobs to attend Aglionby, Noah—a quiet boy who has secrets of his own, and Ronan—an extremely foul, unlikeable misanthrope who is seriously deep and drew me back to him at the end of the book—with only seven little words of dialog. Now, I really like Ronan and want to know more. The novel sets up for book two nicely, and I can’t wait to read what Stiefvater has in store for Blue, Gansey and the boys.

The ending is a crash-bang in-your-face-world-gone-crazy ending that had me guessing until the very end. What a rollicking thrill! Several plotlines converged and a few unexpected zingers caught me by surprise. It’s refreshing when a book entertains and surprises at the same time. This one will leave readers breathless.

Highly, highly recommended grade 7-up. There is the mention of the B word—a child born illegitimately and the boys talk about “balls” as in grow a pair, but this is tame compared to most YA fiction. Ghost story fans will love this must-read!

FTC Required Disclaimer: I purchased this book for my library. I did not receive monetary compensation for this review.
This review has been posted in compliance with the FTC requirements set forth in the Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising (available at ftc.gov/os/2009/10/091005revisedendorsementguides.pdf)

Paranormal Pick: Darkness Before Dawn

Darkness Before Dawn
by J.A. London
HarperTeen
2012
342 pages

Available May 29, 2012 (date from publisher's website)

Read more about the Vampire world from the authors' website

Just when you thought vampires were passe, just when you were glad that vampires were so last year, just when you decided that vampires are over-done, just when your mantra became: I'm so over vampires--a new vampire thriller appears and changes all of that. Darkness Before Dawn is compelling and clever with a title that plays on the main character's name: Dawn. Dawn's name means, "the first appearance of daybreak; overcoming darkness." Darkness Before Dawn--Dawn will face darkness; she is, after all, a delegate for humanity; she works for the Agency, the human council that oversees vampire/human agreements. She is the youngest human ever chosen as the go-between the human world and the world of the vampires led by the powerful Lord Valentine. Even the name Valentine is a play on words: Valentine's Day with its red roses, red hearts, red arrows, red blood, true love.

Darkness Before Dawn is the best paranormal of the year; it has everything a reader could ever want: a high-speed rocket of a plot, a dark and brooding love interest who is hell-bent on putting things right, a feisty and clever heroine, and a mother/son writing team who flex good old solid writing chops. The pages just kept turning for me; I was hooked from page one and couldn't put this one down, and I double-dog dare you to try to put this book down!

Humans lost the war with the vampires and a treaty was agreed upon. VampHu rules allow humans to remain safe in their cities IF they provide enough blood through blood donations to the vampires outside the walls. Lord Valentine controls the vampires outside of Denver. He insists that the city of Denver provide double the blood rations. Dawn is in a predicament. Humans are giving less blood than ever; how will she ever be able to meet Lord Valentine's crazy demands?

Dawn goes to a party near the wall with her friend Tegan--she's knows it's dangerous but wants a little fun before facing the Dark Lord. Tegan's drink is drugged and soon she's a mess; Dawn grabs her and takes her from the party, half-carrying the now unconscious Tegan. They are lucky enough the catch a streetcar, or are they?

Attacked by the vamp conductor and two other vampires, Dawn fights back; she's been trained by the best vampire killers and she uses her training and strength, but she's losing the battle. When seconds make the difference between life and death, Dawn and Tegan are rescued by a mysterious guy; Dawn believes he's a Night Watchman, a human trained to defend the city against rogue vampires. Victor saves the girls and takes them to a safe place, an old movie theater. Later, he drives them to Dawn's house in his car--he must be very rich to own a car--only the very rich have cars after the war.

The name Victor means champion and was a popular saint's name in Christian Rome. Yet, Dawn discovers that Victor is also the son of Lord Valentine, the most powerful vampire. She is disgusted by him and hates the fact that she thought he was handsome and chivalrous before she knew his true identity. Yet he saved them--Tegan and Dawn. Victor assures Dawn that he is a "good" vampire, out to rid the city of the rogues and monsters. He is protecting the peace between the vampire world and the humans. Dawn tries to believe him, but all her training tells her not to believe anything a vampire says or does.

There's sparks between them that neither of them can deny. Victor says,"I know I should resist. Vampires and humans...they never work out." Victor has a secret and he's about to let Dawn in on it. Together, they will have to face the enemy.

Highly, highly recommended for any paranormal fans and fans of paranormal romance will love this one. Way better than Twilight and its sequels. Girls will be Team Victor from now on. Dawn is a tough talking human with strength and moxie; she is no sniveling, weak-minded Bella Swan (Twilight).

Book Two, The Blood-Kissed Sky is not to be missed; there is no publication date yet.

Grades 9-up. Underage drinking, kissing, vampire gore, bloodlust.

FTC Required Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher. I did not receive monetary compensation for this review.

Paranormal Pick: Life Eternal (A Dead Beautiful Novel)

Life Eternal (book 2, Dead Beautiful series)
by Yvonne Woon
Hyperion
2012
416 pages

Hauntingly beautiful, beguilingly romantic, and creepily compelling, Life Eternal is the second book in the Dead Beautiful series and continues the story of Renee and Dante, two young people who are destined to love eternally.

Renee Winters' parents were murdered over a year ago by the Undead, and Renee now lives with her grandfather and studies to be a Monitor, a select group who keeps tabs on the Undead and releases them (buries them) so that they can not kill or harm humans. The Monitor society is secretive and must keep its secrets hidden from the Undead and humans.

When beloved Professor Annette LaBarge is murdered on Lake Erie, the Gottfried Academy closes its doors and Renee must now attend Lycee St. Clement in Montreal for Monitor training. Renee begins having strange dreams and visions and senses that Dante is nearby. Since they kept each other alive (in book one, Dead Beautiful), Dante and Renee share parts of the same soul. Although Dante is Undead, Renee died and apparently came back to life; her classmates whisper that she may have immortality and now is neither human nor Undead.

Renee searches for a way to keep Dante alive and comes across the legend of the Nine Sisters, a group of Monitors who might have discovered the secret of eternal life. The closer Renee gets to the answers, the more dangerous it becomes. An old Russian medium warns her that if she searches for these answers, it will end in life and death.

Two classmates--Anya and Noah--help her try to figure out the sisters' riddle. Renee's parents and Miss LaBarge were all looking for the secret before they were killed.

What does the riddle mean? Is it the secret to eternal life? Will it save Dante? Can their love be everlasting and eternal?

Paranormal fans and readers who loved Twilight and Shiver will devour the Dead Beautiful series.

Highly recommended grades 7-up. No language. Kissing and hugging. No sex.

FTC Required Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher. I did not receive monetary compensation for this review.

Paranormal Pick: The Mephisto Covenant & Book Giveaway!

The Mephisto Covenant (win a free copy here)
by Trinity Faegen
Egmont
2011
438 pages

Sexy, smoldering, scintillating, and smoking hot, The Mephisto Covenant is the new, beguiling, solid page turner for teens who eat up paranormal romance. The cover art is as dynamic as it is beautifully mesmerizing, and the quote from P.C. Cast says it all, "A timeless love story with unique mythology that captivates the imagination. I loved it."

From the first hundred pages, readers will be captivated by the complex plot rife with mythology, theology based fiction, and a story that unfolds quickly. Sasha grieves for her murdered father and so badly wants answers about his death she is willing to do anything, well, almost anything. When she agrees to meet in an abandoned warehouse with a creepy group of school kids, she hears of a leader named Eryx who can find answers for her if she'll agree to be one of his followers and call herself a Raven. Sasha realizes the crazy cult behavior too late and finds herself in real danger. The kids turn on her and pelt her with stones; she falls down and is nearly killed if it weren't for a tall, dark and handsome stranger. He stops time--somehow--and heals her wounds. Then Mr. Tall, Dark, and Handsome erases her memory and Sasha wakes up to find herself alone in the warehouse with no injuries and no memories of the fateful events.

When she arrives home, her mother is packing. Sasha learns that her father and mother aren't who she thinks they are. Sasha's father was a CIA agent in Europe when he was murdered. Her mother is a kind of double agent working with America, but now she is being deported since her husband died. Sasha must go and live with her uncle and her evil, mean-spirited aunt in Telluride, Colorado--which just so happens to be home of Jax (Ajax--Mr. Tall, Dark and Handsome himself) and his band of brothers from Hell. The funniest line Jax himself says, "We don't live in Hell. We live in Colorado."

Sasha meets him again, of course, and realizes she remembers him. Her memory is coming back and she knows he was there that night in the warehouse and that he saved her life. As she learns more about him, she realizes that she is Anabo, a daughter of Eve through Aurora, destined to save humanity. Jax, on the other hand, is Mephisto, a son of Hell. If Jax can find Anabo, they can unite and have children that will save the earth from the malevolent Eryx--the evil son of Satan. It is all very complicated and sometimes hard to follow--yet darkly fascinating.

Sasha is fierce and daring though sometimes naive. Jax is captivating, protective, sweet and I found myself liking the son of Hell more than I thought I could; he is hard to hate. This is an imaginative and enticing tale of sinful romance that girls will find hard to put down. Even at over 400 pages, the book is a quick read with an action-packed plot.



Lustful sex, seductive scenes, lots of trashy talk, not for younger girls.
Recommended grades 10-up mature readers. This isn't for tweens and Twi-hards.

Don't forget to enter the contest to win your free copy here

FTC required disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher. The publisher will mail out copies of the book to the winners. I did not receive monetary compensation for this review.

Paranormal Pick: Carrier of the Mark

Carrier of the Mark
by Leigh Fallon
HarperTeen
2011
342 pages


Romantic, captivating, powerful, and all-consuming, Carrier of the Mark is a different kind of paranormal romance.

When Megan moves to Ireland with her father, she has a mini-culture shock. School is Ireland is a little different than back home in the U.S. For one thing, all the schools wear school uniforms, and math classes are referred to as "maths." Irish names are confusing and the people speak so quickly, Meg has a hard time keeping up with their almost musical accents. Her first day is going smoothly until she sees Adam, that is. Adam DeRis is movie star handsome and darkly mysterious; other students steer clear of him--he's a little "odd." There are stories about witchcraft and strange goings-on at the DeRis mansion. Megan is intrigued and wants to know more.


Megan gets closer to Adam and his family and soon finds out that they are all bound by fate. In the days of the druids, carriers of the mark were selected to be the four elements: earth, wind, water, and fire and control the balance and equilibrium of nature. Meg doesn't know it but she controls wind, and she needs to learn to harness her power before she causes damage and death. The three DeRis siblings Adam, Aine, and Rian instruct Meg in her history and Rian helps train her. There is a battle coming, and traitors called the Knox will stop at nothing short of destroying their order.

Adam and Meg are drawn to each other but can never be together as a couple. The druid texts say the marked ones can never love another because elements feed off of each other and the balance would be imperfect. Floods, earthquakes, fires, droughts, and destruction would ruin the Earth. The Order forbids them from being together. Megan isn't fully "marked;" she has to go through a ceremony on the Summer Solstice in order to gain all her power, but knowing that she will give up Adam, she decides not to go through with it. She would give up ultimate power to be with Adam, but her fate was sealed before her birth. She can sacrifice her love to save mankind.

Readers of paranormal romance will be fans of this novel. What sets it appart from other novels of this genre is the setting of Ireland--the weather, the school, the names, Trinity College, the catacombs, the druids, Irish history.

Recommended grades 9-up. The cover art is striking and sure to draw readers to it. Lots of kissing, petting, and intimate situations. Meg and Adam sleep together--use your imagination.

FTC Required Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher. I did not receive monetary compensation for this review.

Middle School Pick: The Lovely Shoes (Guest Reviewer)

The Lovely Shoes
by Susan Shreve
Arthur Levine Books
2011
256 pages

(Blogger's note- This review was written by my friend Leslie Rush, an avid reader of ya fiction and new to the review scene. This is her second guest review)>



Francine Hall is facing a quadruple threat: she is 14, the age when conformity is crucial. She lives in a small town in Ohio, where everyone knows everything about everyone. It is 1956, smack in the middle of the Conformity Decade. And Franny was born with a withered, defective foot.

Even though she is pretty and smart and fun to be with, Franny is deeply insecure about where and how she will fit in as she begins her freshman year in high school. She buys her friends presents, and pretends words like “gimp” and “cripple” don’t really bother her.

She hates her ugly orthopedic shoes, and tries on her mother’s clothes and shoes, imagining a future where she is beautiful--a future she is positive will never happen. She writes stories and letters that express her inner world with sly wit and vulnerability, in a way that only a 14-year-old can.

A cringing embarrassment at a school dance reveals to Franny exactly how much she will never fit in, and so she decides to stay in her bedroom, never to emerge ever again.

Franny’s loving mother is also different. She is from Denmark, and is incredibly beautiful. She does everything a mother can do to help Franny fit in, and after the disastrous dance, presents Franny with an amazing hope, a dazzling set of new possibilities, in the form of Salvatore Ferragamo. Yes, THAT Salvatore Ferragamo!

Franny realizes she must emerge from her self-imposed prison to find out who she is, find her own voice and create her own expectations. Even if it means facing her fears --- and the fears of those who love her--- she must find her own path to true beauty and acceptance.

Loosely based on a true story, this is a sweet journey of self-determination .

Although the jacket says grades 4 and up, mature themes and a few sexual references make this inappropriate for elementary school. Recommended for ages 12 and up, grades 6-10. One sweet kiss !

FTC Required Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher. I gave the arc to my friend and fellow reviewer and ya novels reader Leslie Rush. Lesly has been a high school teacher and avid reader for many years and shares my love of reading and ya novels. This is her second book review. I/We received no monetary compensation for this review.

Girl Pick: Things I Know About Love

Things I Know About Love
by Kate Le Vann
Egmont
2011
153 pages

Sweet, simple, poignant, and evocative of Love Story and The Notebook, Things I Know About Love will delight girl romance readers.

Seventeen year old Livie Stowe is writing a blog about all the things she knows about love--she doesn't know much since most of her teen-age years have been spent in hospital rooms. Livie was diagnosed with leukemia, but after a bone marrow transplant she's doing fine. She convinces her "Mum" to let her travel to Princeton to visit her older brother Jeff who attends uni (university) there.

That's when she meets Adam again--one of Jeff's mates (friends). After seeing Livie, Adam writes short entries from his point of view. Both take a "fancy" to each other and soon they are dating and traveling to New York City to sightsee. It's refreshing to see both the boy and girl telling his/her side of falling in love. Spoiler alert: this is a major weeper. Bring tissues.

Readers will love the English (British) colloquialisms: uni, Mum, telly, fancy, flat (apartment), holiday (vacation), and snogging (kissing). Livie has great fun with American-isms and says of a day-old doughnut--it was, "full fat, full-sugar American delicious."

Simply a "fab" read. Highly, highly recommended for grades 9 and up. Mature grade 8 is also probably okay. Mentions sex, being afraid to have sex, virginity. No language. No sex.

FTC Required Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher. I did not receive monetary compensation for this review.

Paranormal Pick: Haven

Haven
by Kristi Cook
Simon Pulse
2011
401 pages


Don't miss! This novel is a must-read!

Mesmerizing, exciting, romantic, thrilling, and radically cool, Haven is the BEST paranormal romance since Twilight. In fact, it's
BETTER than Twilight. Haven leaves an open ending for sequels, and this reviewer hopes the sequels prove equally as satisfying. (You heard it here first--I think movie rights will be sold and the movie will be a HUGE hit with teens).

Violet is strangely drawn to a boarding school in New England, and soon finds out that Winterhaven (Haven) is a paranormal school: there are shape-shifters, precogs, werewolves, astral projectors, and, yep, good ol' vampires. What makes this story different is that some vampires are actually working toward a "cure" for their sickness.

Enter Aidan--who is smoking hot and way sexier and more charming than Meyer's Edward. Violet is a strong female protagonist and a worthy warrior--fierce and confident--more likeable than whiny Bella in the Twilight series. Aidan and Violet, with the help of a handful of super-friends (think The Fantastic Four, but uber-rad), face off against the biggest threat to their kind.

Readers who loved Twilight and Shiver, will devour this book and its sequels.

Highly, highly recommended grades 9-up. Mature grade 8 readers--with caution, Aidan and Violet are quite sexy but not explicit.

FTC Required Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher. I did not receive monetary compensation.

Paranormal Pick: Die For Me

Die For Me
by Amy Plum
Harper Teen
2011
352 pages (page count from publisher's website)
Available May 11, 2011

Compelling, exciting, and entertaining, Die For Me is a new twist on the tired and trite paranormal vampire romance book. There are no vampires here! Readers will relish the fresh approach to girl meets boy, but girl can't ever really "have" boy.

A week before Christmas sixteen year old Kate Mercier's parents are killed in a car accident. It is decided that Kate and her older sister Georgia must move to France to live with their grandparents. Georgia fills her days and nights with parties and boys while Kate mopes around the house in a dark depression. When she finally goes outside, she begins visiting a lively French cafe. On one outing, Kate notices an otherworldly, blindingly gorgeous Vincent.

Vincent begins to fill the void left in Kate's life. She is stangely attracted to him, yet knows that something is just not right. She fears he is a criminal, but he tells her he is working "undercover."

Then strange things start to happen. Kate sees Vincent's friend Jules killed by a metro train, Jules shows up again very much alive. When Kate sees a fifty year old picture of a firefighter saving lives during the 1968 Paris riots--she knows it's Vincent. But how can that be? The article with the picture says the firefighter died that day. Just who is Vincent and who are his creepy, yet astonishing beautiful friends?

The closer Kate gets to the answers, the more danger she finds herself in.

Highly recommended for paranormal romance readers grades 9-12.

FTC Required Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher. I did not receive monetary compensation for this review.

Paranormal Pick: Angelfire

Angelfire
by Courtney Allison Moulton
Harper Collins, 2011
464 pages
Available March 9, 2011

Part romance, part girl super-hero, part paranormal, part Biblical allusion, Angelfire is a fast-paced read sure to resonate with fans of Twilight and Maximum Ride.

Ellie has weird nightmares and premonitions about fighting monsters and demons with swords of angelfire. When she keeps running into an interesting older and sexy guy named Will, she realizes it's not an accident. Will tells her that they have a past together--and it's not any every day, ordinary, ho-hum past. Ellie has been reborn AGAIN and is the Preliator, the one hope of the human race to conquer those evil demons sent to destroy us. Will is her Guardian, sworn to protect her no matter what.

This revelation would be surprising and hard to handle for anyone, but for Ellie, who is best friends with Landon, a boy she has known since childhood (at least in this current lifetime), how does she juggle her human friends, her fueding parents, her hot, sexy guardian who she is falling in love with, her nightly lessons and training in demon-killing, fighting evil, saving humankind, and still trying to pass her high school classes?

If Ellie and Will fail, Ellie's soul will forever die and humans will be no more.

Recommended grades 9-up. Underage drinking and party scenes may not be suitable for younger readers.

FTC Required Disclaimer: I received this galley from the publisher. I did not receive any monetary compensation for this review.