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The Monster Librarian Presents:
Reviews of Paranormal Romance and Urban Fantasy for Young Adults
Just as paranormal romance and urban fantasy has taken off for adults, there has been a recent surge in paranormal romance and urban fantasy titles for young adults.
For those who enjoy My Soul to Take series Rhonda Wilson interviews the author Rachel Vincent .
We have an interview with Rachel Hawkins author of Hex Hall.
*Contests*
Beautiful
Dead: Jonas by
Eden Maguire
Source Books, 2010
ISBN: 9781402239441
Available: New
Darina thinks she's going crazy. She's seeing her dead boyfriend everywhere and having visions of beating wings and death's head masks. If she's off, though, the whole town is too. Four teens have died suspiciously in the past year, and the most recent was her boyfriend, Phoenix, who was stabbed during a fight. While the teens have died, though, they haven't left. Instead, they’ve returned to a strange house in the woods as the Beautiful Dead. The Beautiful Dead have come back for answers to their untimely deaths and Darina, trying to get as much time with Phoenix as possible, has agreed to help them. First is Jonas, who died in a motorcycle accident that also paralyzed his girlfriend, Zoey. With only a few days until Jonas’ time on earth is done for good, Darina must find out what exactly happened to Jonas and Zoey on the road.
Beautiful Dead is more like J. O' Barr's The Crow series than a traditional zombie tale. It is full of beautiful prose, has a good mystery, plenty of emotion and a rather intense love story. The zombies are as far removed from the Romero classics as Edward Cullen is from Dracula.
In fact, between the intensity of the love story and the juxtaposition of the morbid and dark with a lovely setting and the lovely writing it bears a semblance to the Twilight world and is very likely to catch the interest of Twilight fans. Recommended for YA collections, librarians should keep in mind that with the high number of mystical powers and lack of appetite of the book's zombies it's more appropriate for lovers of dark fantasy and paranormal romance than hardcore horror fans.
Review by Michele Lee
Harlequin, 2010
ISBN: 978-0373210060
Available: New after April 1, 2010
In Trella's world, things are black and white. She is Inside. Outside is a mythical place that doesn't exist, a tool used to control her and her fellow Lowers, scrubs who are jam packed into large dorms, fed slop, and endlessly doing the most menial jobs. Above them are the Uppers, people the Lowers aren't allowed to interact with, who live comfortable lives in families that serve as overseers of Inside. Trella is Queen of the Pipes, a pipe cleaner who finds more of a home in the maze of heating and air ducts than with her fellow scrubs. It's this reputation that draws her into a plot by Broken Man, a paralyzed prophet from the Uppers. Trella doesn't believe him, until she finds the discs he smuggled from the computer systems, discs that hold the location to the Gateway, the way Outside.
Inside Out is a very well-spun science fiction tale, in the spirit of Bradbury, Huxley and Orwell. Snyder creates an uncomfortable, overcrowded, paranoid and repressed society with far too many questions than answers and plenty of conspiracy. This is no ordinary YA Harlequin novel, rather, it's a new dystopian tale for a new generation of readers. Inside Out walks a razor's edge between stifling readers with its dystopian elements and offering hope of change, and answers to all the questions it raises. There is a love story, but it is by far not the focus of the story. The weight of Inside Out is on the people themselves, the crew of rebels and faceless scrubs, with their surprising depth and drive.
Inside Out is absolutely a must read for speculative fiction fans, a valuable addition to public and private collections and easily has wide spread appeal for capturing adult and teen audiences. Easy to digest, modern and designed to appeal to teens, Inside Out would also be an excellent tool in classrooms to teach the concepts traditionally learned through books like Brave New World, Fahrenheit 451, and 1984.
Contains: Mild cursing
Review by Michele Lee
Michele interviews author Maria V. Snyder here.
Check out the Inside Out official book site.
Witchfinder:
Dawn of the Demontide by William Hussey
Oxford University Press, 2010
ISBN: 978-0-19-273190-6
Available: New
The Demontide is an event that threatens the world once every generation, and all that stands between us and the oncoming flood of demons is the Hobarron Institute and its elders. The Hobarron Institute is a covert organization created to find a permanent solution to the Demontide. For generations they have had to sacrifice children to prevent the demonic flood. Now they plan to use technology. The problem is that the Demontide is imminent, but their technological solution isn’t ready, and the Crowden Coven of witches is desperately trying to make sure that it never gets finished. This is the whirlwind that Jake Harker is caught up in. He is scheduled to be the next sacrifice if the machine isn’t ready when the Demontide occurs. Only Jake can find the solution to the Demontide that will save his own life as well as the lives around him.
Witchfinder: Dawn of the Demontide is a fast paced story that sucks the reader in and doesn’t let them go until the end, leaving them ready to start the next book in this trilogy. It’s a story that takes several surprising turns, and the good guys and bad guys are often hard to tell from one another - showing that even the most noble of causes can be twisted when the means comes to justify the ends. The story is also full of magic and history that any fantasy reader will thoroughly enjoy. Witchfinder: Dawn of the Demontide would make a fine addition to any fantasy/dark fantasy collection.
Review by Bret Jordan
Hex
Hall
by Rachel Hawkins*New Review
Hyperion, 2010
ISBN: 978-1423121305
Available: New
Sophie knows she's a witch, but that's about all she knows. She's never met
her warlock father. Her human mother tries, but can help her very little. When
Sophie tries to help a classmate with a love spell, and it goes horribly wrong,
she is sent to Hex Hall by the Council that rules the Prodigium, which consists
of recognized magical species like fairies, vampires, and shifters. Part
boarding school, part juvenile detention center, Hex Hall is filled with soured,
entitled magical beings who resent their imprisonment, all of whom seem to hate
Sophie from the moment she arrives. When Sophie learns why, and what Hex Hall
means to her family, her life is sent into a tailspin.
Hex Hall has a familiar feel that paranormal readers will love.
Rachel Hawkins has done an excellent job of world-building, and creates
characters just a bit on the other side of dangerous. Although it may have its
roots in books like the Harry Potter series, Hex Hall focuses
specifically on the fragile teen sense of self-identity. It’s refreshing that
Sophie isn’t a “chosen one” with special powers- rather, she’s the magical
equivalent of a reckless teen in trouble Why is everyone around her purposefully
keeping her in the dark? What makes someone a monster? What counts for more,
blood or actions?
The strength of writing and likability of the lead characters combine for a fast-paced, quite digestible tale. Hex Hall is a great choice for library collections that seem unable to keep up with demand for paranormal YA titles, and would be a valuable (and likely popular) addition to public libraries.
Contains: N/A
Review by Michele Lee
My
Soul To Save by Rachel Vincent*New Review
Harlequin Teen, 2010
ISBN: 978-0-373-21004-6
Available: New and Used
My Soul To Save starts off
with our heroine, Kaylee Cavanaugh, and her boyfriend, Nash, attending the
concert of pop star, Eden, with free tickets from Nash's brother, who had once
dated Addison Page, Eden's opening act. During Eden's act, she collapses on
stage. Kaylee prepares for one of her screams to tear out of her, but notices
it's not coming and assumes Eden is going to live, but a grim reaper then
appears. Kaylee doesn't understand why she has no scream until she realizes
that Eden has no soul. After this discovery she finds out that Addison will be
the next victim to die without a soul, and they work together to keep death from
taking her before her soul can be returned to her body.
Much darker than the first book, My Soul To Keep, this novel has the
characters exploring the Netherworld, home to numerous new demons for Kaylee and
friends to contend with. Kaylee has had to learn a lot over the course of just
a few months to prepare herself for her new life as a bean sidhe, banshee.
Vincent details this character growth in vivid detail as she deals with the
challenges she faces in order to save Addison as well as typical teen problems,
such as arguing with her dad and being grounded. I thought the changes in
Kaylee in this book definitely moved this series forward and
will make it stronger as a whole. I'm looking forward to what lies
ahead for our heroine and her friends in Vincent's next release. Highly
recommended!
Contains: Mild Adult Language, Teen Death Scenes
Review by Rhonda Wilson
The
Iron King by Julie Kagawa*New Review
Harlequin Teen, 2010
ISBN: 0373210086
Available: New
One of Meghan Chase’s most vivid memories is of her father disappearing at the park when she was six years old. His shoes were found at the edge of a pond. Searches by the authorities were fruitless- he simply disappeared without a trace. Meghan is tortured by visions of her father walking into the pond.
Fast forward ten years. Meghan and her mother have moved to a small "hick" town, and her mother has remarried. Meghan is about to turn sixteen, an important age for a young girl. Yet her mother and step-father barely acknowledge this monumental event. The only one who seems to remember is her half-brother Ethan, who, at four years old, has fears of the boogeyman hiding in his closet. What if the boogeyman was real…
When Meghan returns home from school to find her mother unconscious on the floor with Ethan standing over her with an evil, mischievous grin, she knows something has gone awry. She soon learns that her life isn’t what it seems. Her brother has been abducted and replaced with a Faery changeling. Her best friend Robbie is more than he seems as well. Turns out his real name is Puck, and he’s not your typical teenager. With Puck’s help, Meghan must travel to the world of Never Never to rescue her brother.
Fans of Fae will be enthralled by this book. Yes, every other book released lately seems to be about the Fae, but Kagawa puts a completely different spin on it. The author also impressed me with the cast of strong main characters. Typically when a book has too many main characters it can get overwhelming. In this case, it did not. Each character was developed very well and I was surprised at how quickly I liked each of them. One of my favorites was Grimalkin, a talking cat who reminded me of The Cheshire Cat from The Adventures of Alice in Wonderland.
The Iron King has it all, a lot of action and a little romance. I’m anxiously awaiting the second book in the series The Iron Daughter, due out in August.
Review by
Jennifer Lawerence
Harlequin Teen, 2008
ISBN: 0373210027
Available: New
Aden Stone isn’t your typical sixteen-year-old. Instead of spending his time playing games on his Xbox 360, he’s dealing with the four souls that share his body. One is a time traveler, one can see the future, one can raise the dead, and one can possess the body of another human. Aden speaks to each of the souls and this has forced Aden to move from foster home to foster home, from one psychiatric home to another. The voices in his head never seem to quiet. Then he meets Mary Ann. Her presence alone brings him the peace and serenity he has craved all his life. While Aden seems to attract the supernatural, Mary Ann suppresses it. This peace doesn’t last long, for Aden’s supernatural “magnetism” has drawn all sorts of creatures in to town, including vampires, shapeshifters, and faeries. Aden and Mary Ann join forces with a shapeshifter and a vampire princess to face impending doom .
Overall, Intertwined was an engaging read. However, I do think it would be better served if it were split into two separate books. There seemed to be so much going on at one time that it got confusing in parts. I think the character development was sacrificed in order to tie everything up into one book. I would have liked to have learned more about the souls residing in Aden’s mind. I did note that a sequel, Unraveled, is scheduled for release in the fall of this year. and I’m hoping readers will learn a bit more about Aden and his souls in the second book. Teens that are fans of Twilight and other supernatural tales will enjoy Intertwined. Recommended for YA library collections.
Contains: N/A
Review by Jennifer Lawrence
HarperCollins,
2008
ISBN: 0061214671
Available: New
Aislinn has the Sight. She sees faeries
everywhere, and faeries are terrifying enough that she spends most of her life
trying to make sure faeries don't notice her. Unfortunately, she comes to the
attention of the Summer King, Keenan, who must convince her to become his queen.
Keenan is bound to play out a scenario set by his mother, the vicious Winter
Queen, which requires the chosen girl to take up the Winter Queen's staff at his
request, at the risk of becoming her pawn. Without the Summer Queen, the world
will descend into a permanent, killing, winter. The last girl to take up the
staff, Donia, must convince the new girl to reject the staff, but things are
changing. Aislinn is different from the girls who
have failed- she resists falling under his spell. And she has backup- a
grandmother who also has the Sight, and takes the risk seriously, and Seth, a
friend who lives in a steel train car where she is safe from faeries, and who is
becoming much more than a friend.
Aislinn is a strong protagonist. Caught in events
outside her control, she uses her Sight, her knowledge, and her stubborn
independence to shape the effect those events will have on her life. She is also loved, and
believed, and Seth's steadiness, resourcefulness, and support are critical to
her holding on to her core. The resolution of events is surprising and
satisfying, although it's clear there are still dangerous conflicts ahead, and
readers will be eager for the next installment. It's difficult to believe
Aislinn and her friends are teens, or that her
Grams, who is portrayed as very strict, gives her the leeway to travel alone
through some pretty awful urban areas, much less spend the night with Seth, who
is several years older, but readers will forgive the dissonance that creates in
favor of letting the story, especially the intertwined love stories of Donia and
Keenan with Aislinn and Seth, sweep them away.
The first book in a series, Wicked Lovely is followed by Ink Exchange
and Fragile Eternity, but Wicked Lovely stands alone, and is
clearly the standout of the series. Highly recommended for public library YA
collections, and for high school library media centers, and for fans of urban
fantasy.
Review by Kirsten Kowalewski
Elphame's
Choice by
P.C. Cast
Harlequin Teen, 2004
ISBN: 9780373210152
Available: New and used
Elphame, the Chosen of the Goddess
Epona, is half-centaur and half-human. She
leaves the luxury of home, and her mother, the Goddess Incarnate, to travel
to a crumbling castle. Elphame is determined
to revive the site, once the scene of slaughter, and find her place in the
world. When she arrives, she finds the half-breed descendants of the
Fomorians, the demons who destroyed the castle
in the first place, recognizes one of them as her
soulmate.
Elphame's Choice is not
horror, or even dark fantasy, but will still reach some readers in those
audiences, particularly those who enjoy the kind of fantasy found in the
Twilight books. Some readers, however, will find the pace slow and
repetitive, the prose purple and the characters too perfect. There's little
tension here, little question that all will end well, and little action that
explains why the characters deserve the adoration and love they seem to get.
But there's also no question that this kind of fantasy has an audience among
teens and adults alike. As for the place this novel deserves in a public
library collection--there are certainly worse books already to be found on
the shelves, but there are more enchanting choices as well.
Contains: Explicit sex, masturbation
Review by Michele Lee
MonsterLibrarian.com Editor's note: Elphame's Choice was initially
published for an adult audience. P.C Cast is also the co-author of the
popular young adult vampire series The House of Night, so readers of those
books may pick this up due to its location on the shelf. When
considering reader's advisory, librarians should be aware that the level of
mature sexual content in the book has caused some controversy.
My
Soul To Take by Rachel Vincent
Harlequin Teen, 2009
ISBN: 978-0-373-21003-9
Available: New
The adventures of Kaylee Cavanaugh continue on from Rachel
Vincent's prequel story, My Soul to Lose, in this first novel of the Soul
Screamers series. Kaylee thinks she's died and gone to heaven after
sneaking into an eighteen-and-over-club and earning the affections of one of the
hottest guys in school, Nash Hudson. But then someone really does die, and
ironically, it is someone that Kaylee had predicted was going to die, before
Nash and her best friend, Emma, pulled her out of the club during a "panic
attack". Somehow, Nash knows that it was not just a panic attack, and is able to
soothe Kaylee when she was on the verge of shrieking, but how? Shortly after
the first girl dies, a second does. Kaylee feels like there is something
seriously wrong going on and that she should somehow try to stop it. Of course,
Nash wants to help out and for whatever reason, he seems to know even more about
what is going on than Kaylee.
Rachel Vincent has been on my "must read immediately upon
release" list for a while now with her Shifters series and having now
read both My Soul to Lose and My Soul to Take, I think it'll just
be any books that come out by her that go on that list. Vincent is an amazing
writer who is coming out with creative new plot ideas for the paranormal genre.
There are plenty of vampire, werewolf, and zombie stories out there, but Vincent
is going beyond those, picking out and using some of the less common elements.
I applaud her for that, and appreciate it, as some of the others, while
enjoyable, can get stale at times. My Soul to Take allows us to get to know
more about what is going on with Kaylee as she learns about herself. There are
some emotional scenes in the book both for Kaylee, getting a handle on who she
really is, and also due to the deaths that are taking place within the book.
This novel crosses over many genres... paranormal, mystery, romance, and horror,
so it is a good blend. Young adult readers, as well as many adults, will find
Soul Screamers a unique and fascinating series and will be eagerly
awaiting the next book. I know I am. Highly Recommended.
Contains: Mild Adult Language, Adult and Teen Death Scenes
Review by Rhonda Wilson
Now for another review of My Soul to Take here is our take two review by Kakari
I'll be honest, the summary on the back of My Soul to Take the book didn’t pull me in. It sounded like any other YA paranormal romance out there in the market these days. As I started reading, the first hundred pages were a mixture of boredom and absurdity to me. It was obvious that the author was trying to build suspense and induce curiosity in the reader. The book's premise is that Kaylee, a teen girl, is having premonitions of others' deaths. However, Vincent details the deaths of the victims and the panic of the heroine to such length that it becomes a bit tiring. I found myself searching for excuses to take a break after every five pages or so. During this time, I also had trouble with Nash, the "mysterious and gorgeous" love interest, as a believable character. Why would the hottest guy in high-school –also known as a player –have an interest in the heroine? A genuine interest as a matter of fact, especially after experiencing her psychotic breakdown? How does he so easily calm Kaylee down during her premonitions? Why do the two protagonists have such a strong connection after meeting just once? Why do his eyes change colors according to his mood? All these questions screamed Gary-Stu to me.
Fortunately, I kept reading, and once I hit the second part of the book, I couldn’t stop. The plot suddenly became fast-paced and intense. The mythology Vincent weaves into the story about banshees is exhilarating. Not just that, she throws in a couple of more surprises, as well as an ending you’ll never see coming. As a bonus, the romance was sizzling –without the sex. Every question I asked earlier about Nash was explained thoroughly. The reader will find out he isn’t a Gary-Stu after all. I now realize the beginning of the book is essential background information of Kaylee’s lifestyle and the people around her. Besides the introduction of a new paranormal creature into the YA genre, what most impressed me about My Soul to Take was Vincent’s prose. She writes in a way that connected me to the main character. Furthermore, never at any point in the story was I annoyed with the heroine, which is extremely rare for me.
My Soul to Take is recommended for all YA paranormal romance fans. Please do not be put off by the mediocre summary on the back cover; the story is a hidden gem. I will definitely be looking out for the sequels, My Soul to Save and My Soul to Keep. Don’t forget to read the short prequel too, My Soul to Lose. If you’re looking for similar books, check out the Daughters of the Moon series by Lynne Ewing.
Contains: Mild language and death scenes
Review by Kakari
Editor's note: For those unfamiliar with the term "Gary-Stu", it is the male equivalent of a "Mary Sue", a character who is idealized and "special" beyond the point at which the reader is able to suspend disbelief.
My
Soul To Lose by Rachel Vincent*New Review
Harlequin Teen, 2009
ISBN: 978-1-4268-3867-5
Available: New (e-book only)
My Soul to Lose is the prequel to Rachel Vincent's new novel My Soul
to Take. At the start of My Soul to Lose, Vincent introduces us to
Kaylee Cavanaugh and her best friend, Emma. They are on a trip to the mall and
plotting revenge on Kaylee's ex. Unfortunately, while wandering around the
mall, Kaylee has what Emma assumes was a "panic attack". Emma pulls her away
from the crowds of the food court where the attack first hit her and led her
down to Sears. Kaylee was feeling better until she spotted a boy in a
wheelchair who appeared to have shadows wrapped around him and then she began to
shriek. Next thing Kaylee knows, she finds herself in a psychiatric ward,
trying to find a way out and also a way to explain the shadows to herself.
Having been a fan of Vincent's adult Shifters series I was curious to see
how her writing style would hold up in the young adult genre, and I have to say
I am quite impressed. My Soul to Lose is a great introduction to the
Soul Screamers series and leaves you wondering what is going on with this girl,
Kaylee. It is also a great introduction to Rachel Vincent that may eventually
lead younger readers to discover her adult books. This is a novella, but has a
lot packed into it. Several characters in the Soul Screamers world are
introduced and you get a bit of background on what has been going on with Kaylee.
Readers don’t need to read this prior to reading My Soul to Take, but I
think it helps you get more in touch with the characters. Highly Recommended.
Contains: Mild Adult Language
Review by Rhonda Wilson